An Education For Power
by Tonifranz
Summary: STORY COMPLETE! Dumb and stupid! That's the RRB to the PPG. They can't even spell right! The Rowdyruff Boys, especially Brick, want to show that they were equals to the Girls in brains as well as brawn. Without going to school. He vows to get their respect as well as inflict his revenge. Follow the boys' journey to intelligence, education, and ultimately, respectability.
1. I-The Book

**An Education for Power**

* * *

Dumb and stupid! That's the RRB to the PPG. They can't even spell right! The RRB, especially Brick, want to show that they were equals to the girls in brains as well as brawn. Without going to school. He vows to get their respect. Chapter 1. Brick stole Blossom's book. He finds out how much he needed to know, and how much he must do, to catch up with her.

* * *

 **Book I**

 **How to Learn?**

 **Chapter I**

 **The Book**

 _ **1\. Blossom Alone**_

 _Monday. August 9, 2004_

A pink flash! No, a streak!

His red eyes scanned the sky to look for the expected companion streaks. Blue and green ones, to be exact.

Nothing?

 _Perfect. She's alone._

He chuckled. What's Pinky doing alone? It didn't matter. It's time for some fun.

"Looks like Pink Eyes is all alone, boys," he, a boy with red hair and red eyes, said to his two brothers.

"Um, what does that mean, Brick?" his blond brother asked as they lay under a tree in Townsville Park.

"Well Boomer, what happened last time you faced 'em three alone?"

"Um, well, they didn't play fair, and they beat me up, and put me in a light thingy, and I thought they'd kill me, but lucky me, you saved me!" he answered.

"You are such a wimp, don't ya know?" Butch, the other brother, teased.

"They don't play fair!" Boomer, the youngest brother, rejoined. "See how you fare if ya fight three by _yourself_! Y'all be in your undies and stuck in that light thingy too!"

"Well, we can play that game too," Brick smirked. "What of it, Butch? Care for _some…violence?"_

"Violence, Violence! _Vioooooooolence_!" the black haired middle child began to shout, jumping from left to right. "We're gonna beat up a powderpuff!"

"Boom?"

"Yeah! Those girls are mean, and have cooties, and are stupid!" he replied. "They stole my clothes! Who steals someone else's clothes? They're creeps!"

The six-year-old leader grinned. "Good. Now, here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna distract her, and while I'm doing that, you, Butch, grab her!"

"What 'bout me?" asked Boomer.

"Boom, you go with Butch, help him if the high and mighty puff proves too hard," he instructed.

...

* * *

Brick quickly flew towards where the pink light was headed.

"Stop! Where do you think you're going, babe?" he shouted as she approached him.

Blossom stopped as she nearly crashed into her counterpart. She rolled her pink eyes as if he was nothing more than a distraction, an obstacle, not the threat that he was. "Move it, dummy! I'm in a hurry!"

"Oh you are, are you? You gotta go through me, first!" he declared. His red eyes darted over to something she was carrying in her hand. It was something he had seen before, but he had never touched. He was unfamiliar with what it's called. His curiosity got the better of him. "Gimme that!"

"Oh this? This is a _book,_ something which you won't be able to understand!" she haughtily declared, waving the object before her eyes. "You can't even spell right! How can you even read it? You're too stupid to do so!"

"Who are you calling stupid?"

"You are! You can't even spell dumb!"

"Ha, you're wrong there! I know how to spell! You spell as it sounds! What's the use of b in dumb? Nothing! That's why it's spelled d-u-m!"

"You really are a dum dum," she teased. "And to think you're my counterpart! I'm ashamed that someone as smart as me is a counterpart to someone as dumb as you!"

"Oh I'm dumb, am I?" he smiled as he could see Butch silently flying behind her.

"Yes you are, and—hey, let go!"

Butch grabbed her, subjecting the pink puff to a bear hug. The red ruff quickly grabbed the book from her hands.

It was the first time he had ever held a book. He had seen lots before, but never even bothered to even touch one. He never even knew what they were called until Blossom told him. Why should he? He's too clever and smart to read any books! All those things were useless to the Master Masher, Duke of Destruction, and King of Crushing himself! Books were dumb and only for sissies!

He looked at the title.

 _ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS_

Still, he was curious. He never saw the inside of a book before, and he wanted to find out what it was. He was sure that it was something silly and inane and he could close the book immediately.

He opened the cover.

He saw what he later learned was the cover page. Then there was the table of contents.

He kept flipping.

 _Chapter One._

Hm.

Then he began reading the text. He was taught reading by Him before he was resurrected. He and his brothers were only taught basic spelling and grammar, but no more than that. Only enough to make graffiti, read signs, buy things, and read money.

Still, it was enough to read Blossom's book. It was for kindergarteners or first graders, and he understood well enough.

He expected to just close the book and dismiss it as stupid, but to his surprise, his eyes were glued on the words, and he just kept reading. _Just kept reading._ He could not keep his eyes off of it, as he learned the basics, some of which he knew, but most of which were new.

He was fascinated, and wanted to know more.

"Give that back!" Blossom shouted as she continued to struggle. "I've got to return that to the library or I'm gonna be overdue!"

He looked at Blossom, still struggling against Butch's grip. He saw Boomer stupidly floating around. "Hey Boomer, beat her up! Butch, just hold her while he's doin' it."

"No fair! You're three and I'm only one!" she shouted.

"Tell that to Boomer when you three beat him up and kidnapped him," Brick coldly said as he looked at her. "Boom Boom, do your worst!"

"Right!" the blond said as he punched the Powerpuff in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

"Take that!" He then gave her a powerful kick on the head.

"You three beat me up while I was alone!"

Then a punch to her face.

"You stole my clothes!"

Another kick to her head.

"You put me in that light thingy and made me stand in my underwear!"

He gave an uppercut to her chin with his left hand.

"You would have killed me if I didn't get saved!"

Then more punches to the Puff's stomach.

"You deserved it!" She weakly replied. Blossom looked at the blond ruff, her pink eyes full of contempt. "You're evil! You stole candy!"

After five minutes of Boomer's nonstop beating, Blossom was weak and bloody, her eyes black and her face bruised.

Butch, with a grin on his face, was silent during the beating, his grip on the puff unyielding. Brick was silent with an amused expression, holding the book, as he watched.

"You won't get away with this," she weakly coughed.

"Let's see, Pinky," he grinned. "Hold this, Boomer. Don't lose it. Butch, let her go."

The blond boy nodded, satisfied with his revenge, and took the English book from Brick's hands.

"C'mon leader girl! Fight me," he said.

Blossom, bloodied and weak, tried to bolt, but her way was blocked by Boomer and Butch. She then attacked Brick, but she was already severely weakened. The ruff leader let her hit him on the face. It barely tickled.

 _Oh this would be sweet._

"Let the bludgeoning, _begin!"_ he shouted, as his eyes shot laser, hitting her point black.

"This is for all the things you did to us, for killin' us, and for makin' fun of us!" he coldly said, and kicked her in the head, knocking her out and sending her into the pavement below.

"All right! That was awesome!" Butch shouted. "We got 'em! We got 'em! We're the best! We're the best!"

"Yeah! That should learn 'em! Nobody steals my clothes and gets away with it!" Boomer added, yelling, and pumping his fists.

"Should we finish her off?" Butch asked as they looked at the prone form of the puff leader.

"Nah. That'll send a message to those lame-o powderpuffs!" the redheaded leader said, grabbing the book off Boomer's hand. "Let's grab a bite to eat."

* * *

…

After eating their stolen lunch, the three ruffs went back to their home—Fuzzy Lumpkin's shack in the woods.

He went to a corner and began to read. Again, he was engrossed. He was unable to put down the book.

He was surprised with himself. He thought that reading was stupid. But he found out that day, that he really liked reading. So much so that his eyes kept looking for something to read. He knew he was clever and smart, but oh boy! Did he realize that he needed to learn much more than what he already knew.

He got distracted by a commotion.

"Will you keep quiet!" he hissed.

"He started it!" Butch shouted.

"No, you did, you meanie!" Boomer shouted.

Brick looked at the two. They were wrestling on the floor, with Butch getting the upper hand, but with Boomer not easily giving in. Ordinarily, this wasn't something that would concern him. After all, fighting each other was one of their ways to amuse themselves. Being superpowered beings meant that they could easily heal from blows and wounds. Blossom, for example, would be good as new in a few hours, and even faster if she was given proper treatment.

But right now, Brick wanted to read. He wanted to know what exactly was a noun, an adjective, or a verb. He wanted to know all the various grammatical rules of the language he was speaking.

He thought about ordering them to be quiet. But he knew it would be futile. Butch and Boomer trying to be quiet would end up being even more noisy than outright noise.

"I'm leaving. Don't follow me," he declared.

"Where ya goin'?" asked Butch.

"Somewhere quiet," he snapped. "Do what you want. Just don't wreck it, 'kay?"

The two nodded as they resumed their wrestling match. Brick flew through the window, trying to find a place of peace and quiet.

He settled on the top of Mojo's observatory.

* * *

 _ **2\. Blossom's Recovery**_

Blossom opened her eyes. Her head was hurting a little bit. She looked around and saw Bubbles and Buttercup looking at her. They were at home, in their room.

She remembered. She was flying to the public library. Her book was due. She got trapped by three Rowdyruffs and got beaten up.

 _Stupid! How could I be so stupid?_

Her mind still could not comprehend that those complete idiots, the Rowdyruffs, could come up with such a basic plan as fighting her three on one. Or even distracting her while two of _his_ brothers sneaked up on her from behind. Or fight her while one grabbed her!

Brick obviously planned the sneak attack. But that can't be! Anybody who can't spell 'dumb' could not make a competent plan. If someone who got the brains of Mojo Jojo could not make a successful plan against one powerpuff, how could a braindead idiot who could not even spell come up with one?

 _He got lucky._

That's the only reason. Brick was a thick, disgusting, idiot that can't even spell dumb! There's no way he can plan, or think, or even read. And he certainly cannot outplan or outthink a smart girl like Blossom!

"She's waking up," she could hear Bubbles whisper. "She's waking up! Are you okay, Blossom?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I am," she replied, noticing that nothing was aching and everything felt normal.

"What happened?"

"I got ambushed by those stupid Rowdyruffs," Blossom narrated. "All three of them."

"All three of them?" Bubbles asked. "Why would they attack you when you're alone?"

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Buttercup. "That's a very smart thing to do."

"That's just it! Because they're too dumb to think of it," Blossom replied. "Or that's what we thought."

"No way! Those boys were dumb! D-U-M-B dumb, or in Brick's case, d-u-m! They couldn't think their way out of a paper bag!" the green puff charged.

"They were lucky, I suppose," Blossom said.

"You were lucky too! An ambulance happened to be passing by when you fell," Bubbles narrated, "and brought you here."

"Yeah. And the Professor put some medicine which speeded up the Chemical X fast healing."

At least her physical injuries were gone. She should never have left her guard down. She was just returning the book to the library. And the book…

 _Wait! The book!_

"Buttercup, where's the book?"

"What book?"

"The one that I was supposed to return!"

"I dunno," she replied.

"You don't have any book with you when they found you," Bubbles added.

Then she remembered.

"Brick took it!" Blossom spat. "What time is it?"

"Four in the afternoon," Bubbles replied.

"There's still time."

"Time for what?"

"To get my book back, and return it before the library closes."

"What? Red, you've gone bonkers!" Buttercup shouted.

"You just got healed! You can't, you just can't!" Bubbles agreed.

"Look, they overpowered me. If we three go after them, then we could outsmart them like we always do," Blossom said.

"But—"

"I have a perfect record in the library! I won't have it ruined by stupid boys, got it?" Blossom asserted, in a tone that would brook no dissent. "I will go _alone_ if you wish, but if you want to let your sister get beaten up again, _that's on you_!"

"Okay, we'll go with you!" Buttercup conceded, folding her arms in defeat.

"Yeah. We'll always stick together," Bubbles smiled.

The three girls flew towards the city to find the boys, and hopefully, recover the book.

"I don't think we'll find the book," Buttercup asserted. "After all, the boys are too stupid to even read! Brick, I'm sure, just threw it away after seeing letters he can't even understand."

"Well, there are pictures. Hopefully, they'll keep it if the images are interesting enough," said Blossom.

But Blossom was not so sure. Her sister was right. Brick, who can't even spell dumb, surely can't read well at all, and would probably destroy the book and she'll have to explain to the librarian why she lost it. Oh she'll beat up the good for nothing Brick for that!

"Look," Bubbles whispered. "It's Brick."

She pointed at the top of the observatory, and sure enough, a red figure was on top of it.

It was Brick.

 _Reading_?

She blinked. She can't believe it. Maybe the pictures were more interesting than she thought.

"He's alone," Buttercup whispered.

"Excellent. Let's beat him up and get him to the Professor. Hopefully, he has repaired the containment ray," she ordered. "Then we can get the other two. But first things first. Let's get the book off his hands."

* * *

…

Brick had just read the last pages of the book, and he turned it once more. "Bibliography," he read and scanned. "What the?"

He turned the page.

 _Index_.

His eyes read the entry but could make no sense of the words with numbers besides them. He wondered why anyone would write a bunch of words, arranged by letters, with numbers besides them. But it was an excellent book. It was his first book that he ever read, and he was pleased. It was dull, but useful. And he knew that he would rather have that knowledge, than be without it.

 _Nouns. Pronouns. Adjectives. Adverbs._

Who knew? He sure didn't!

"HEY ROWDYRUFF, BRING BACK BLOSSOM'S BOOK!"

His head turned to the sound of the voice. It was Buttercup.

"Buttercup! You alerted him!" Blossom reprimanded.

He blanched as he heard those voices. He looked.

 _Bubbles. Pinky. Buttercup._

All three Powerpuffs.

And he was alone.

He knew what fate awaited him if he fought them. He would be dragged to the dreaded white Untonium house, stripped naked, and put on the light thingy, as Boomer described it. He could still remember his horror in seeing his brother, trapped, helpless. It was only Bubbles' dumb act that freed them from certain death. He was sure they would have killed them—like they did the first time.

So he did the most sensible thing.

As fast as he could, he bolted to the opposite direction.

"After him, girls! We must get him before his brothers join him!" he could hear Blossom order.

Stupid! He was as stupid as Boomer and as stupid as Blossom for going alone and risking being caught in a three on one situation. He needed to lose them. He looked at the ground below. They were now above the forest just outside Townsville.

A plan formulated on his head.

 _They want the book? Let's see how much they want it!_

Brick suddenly stopped and turned around. "Hey lame-o girls!" he shouted. "Looking for this? Stop, or I'll destroy this!"

The three girls stopped, curious as to what he's up to.

"Don't you dare!" Bubbles gasped.

"Give it back!" Blossom demanded.

"You can have it! I'm done reading it anyway!" he stated nonchalantly.

"All of it?" Blossom asked, a bit shocked. "In such a short time?"

"Yeah. I just stole it from you this morning," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Blossom scoffed. "Liar! That's 200 pages! No way an uneducated dunce like you could read it that fast! I'm sure you can't even understand it!"

"Yeah. You just looked at the pictures!" Buttercup added.

"Yeah! You can't even spell dumb!" Bubbles finished. "Give it back!"

He grinned. "Why don't you stupid puffs go, and _get it_!" he laughed, throwing it as hard as he could in the opposite direction.

" _ **My book**_!" Blossom shouted and went after it.

He smiled before flying in the opposite direction, Buttercup and Bubbles chasing after him.

He stopped, turned around, and as expected, Buttercup reached him first, lunging with her right arm. He smirked, as he grabbed her arm. She was surprised by his action as he spun her and threw her at Bubbles, who was right behind her. The two girls were thrown to a moderate distance.

Brick then fell to the ground, landing on the forest below, and sat on the branch of a tree, the canopy hiding him from view. He could see the Bubbles and Buttercup recover and then look around.

…

* * *

 _ **3\. The Library**_

Blossom grabbed the book, and opened it. She scanned it, and was relieved that the book was intact. There were no torn pages, no vandalism, and the only thing she noticed were the dog ear folds. It was not there before. Had Brick made those? Was he reading? Impossible. He was too dumb to read the book! Or even know that it was a book! He claimed he read it all for just a couple of hours. He was lying just to make himself look smarter!

Now to teach the Brick head a lesson.

"I got it!" she shouted, but was puzzled when she saw Bubbles and Buttercup staring at the forest below.

"Where's Brick?" she asked.

"He got away," Bubbles offered.

"How could he get away? You're two, and he's one!"

"He just got away, okay? He's hiding down there," Buttercup snapped, and pointed to the forest below.

"Let's look for him," their blond sister suggested.

"No time. Only five minutes till the library closes," she said, before she flew towards the direction of the library.

Buttercup and Bubbles, not wanting to leave their leader alone and be susceptible to ambush, followed.

The puff leader looked at the library. It was an old Carnegie library, with a Victorian design. She had been there lots of times, and those times had been some of the best times in her short life. Yes, she was a bit of a nerd, but that was part of being the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

She entered at 4:58 p.m. Buttercup and Bubbles followed a minute later.

"Hello Mrs Cartwright," Blossom said, almost breathless. "I'm here to return the book that I borrowed."

The grey haired old lady smiled and got the book, and stamped its back portion. Blossom handed her library card, and it was also stamped. The red haired powerpuff smiled as she saw the time stamp.

4:59 p.m.

 _Just in time._

"Still got the perfect record, Blossom," she nicely said, "No overdue books ever since you became a member!"

"I am the leader of the Powerpuff Girls," Blossom proudly declared. "I have to set an example."

"I know you want to borrow a book, but it's closing time already," Mrs Cartwright said as a loud bell rang as the clock struck 5:00 pm and the remaining library patrons streamed out.

"Don't worry, it's okay."

"We better go, or the ghosts of the Townsville City Library might get mad!" Bubbles whispered.

"She's right, you know," Mrs Cartwright said. "The ghosts of Townsville City Library haunt this place after closing hours, and protect the books from being stolen."

"I'm sure they won't be mad at me. Bye Mrs Cartwright!" she waved as the three girls left.

"Bubbles, you really don't believe the ghosts of Townsville Library really exists, do you?" Blossom asked.

"They do exist. Have you watched that TV program? People actually saw them!" Bubbles defended.

"More like they knew people who saw them, but those interviewed didn't actually see them!" Blossom explained.

"Ha, Bubbles, you are a scaredy-cat!" Buttercup teased.

"You should be! The ghost of Townsville library punishes mean kids like you," Bubbles asserted, sticking her tongue out at her sister.

…

* * *

Brick was standing inconspicuously just outside the library, standing beside a tree. He had followed the girls, all the time making sure he was not spotted. He was curious where Blossom was taking her book.

He had seen the library many times before, but it was only now that he really gave it notice.

Why did Blossom go there with the book?

Then the girls left. But without the book. Why did they leave the book in the building?

The answer was obvious.

The girls were stupid! Leaving books in such a public place!

He flew to the side of the building and peeked through the windows.

His eyes widened. Books. Tons of books. Innumerable books. More books than he had ever seen in his admittedly very short life.

He wanted to read it.

Badly.

He didn't care if it was stupid. It was stupid! But he would learn why those books were stupid and useless. And he wanted to learn.

 _Learn._

He flew back to Fuzzy's shack.

"Where have you been?"

"Mojo's."

"You met with Pops?" asked Butch.

"No. I sat on top of the lab."

"Where's the book?" Boomer asked.

"Finished reading it."

"But you said books were stupid! And only idiots read it!" Butch reacted.

"So I did. I wanted to know why they were stupid."

"So, for dinner, kill, or steal?" the green ruff asked.

"Steal!" Brick answered.

The boys flew into town and stole their dinner. They attacked a pizza delivery van, stole three boxes of pizzas, and flew back to the shack.

After dinner, the boys slept. Or at least Butch and Boomer did, on two flimsy mattresses with barely a cloth to cover them. Brick himself pretended to sleep, then once he was satisfied that his brothers were indeed sleeping, went out of the shack.

He carried his stolen flashlight, and flew to the center of Townsville. He smirked as he saw the building.

 _Townsville City Library._

He went to the front door, and checked if it was not locked. It was locked. So he went around the place, and saw the back door. It too was locked. But he anticipated it. He flew to one of the small terraces at the third floor. He got a paperclip from his pocket, and fashioned the wire to the shape of the key. He opened the locked door to the terrace, and locked it from inside.

He turned around, and stared. Where to start? He flew to a shelf of books. He looked at the titles at the spine.

 _Advanced Physics._

He bit his flashlight, and took the book. And opened it. And started reading. And his head hurt. Something about Einstein, relativity, quantum mechanics, and a bunch of formulas.

He immediately shut the book and put it back on the shelf.

He felt so stupid. He could not understand any of it.

He floated around. He would occasionally grab a book, and immediately would be discouraged.

 _Advanced Accounting 4_.

He nearly got mad when he saw terms like debit, credit, worksheet and put it back.

 _Law._

Civil Procedure. Certiorari. Demurrer of Evidence. Pleadings. Petition.

He nearly got a headache.

 _Information Technology._

HTML. Spyware. Central Processing Unit. Antivirus. Microprocessor.

He was lost.

He realized that so many things were beyond him. He, the cleverest of the Rowdyruffs, knew very little.

But at least he was smarter than those stupid Powderpuffs. Come to think of it, what was a powderpuff anyway?

He looked around, and saw something.

Grade School section. Kindergarten books.

Then he saw it.

It was Blossom's book.

He grabbed it, and there it was. He put it back. He had already read it. He looked around.

 _English Grammar for First Grade._

Opening it, he was relieved that he could understand it. He smiled as he went and opened the lights. He looked around. There were a couple of chairs and tables. And a sofa. He settled on the sofa.

It was soft. It was cushy. It was better than any other chair he had sat on. He then opened the book and began reading.

He finished it, all 150 pages, with big text, in two hours, his eyes never leaving the text, his brain absorbing all the new information like a sponge.

He put the book down. He wanted to know more. Read more. It was nearly midnight. He ought to go home, get some sleep.

But he wanted to read!

 _One more book._

Then he'll go home.

He got another book.

 _Basic Science_ for first grade.

Reading science was even more revealing and exciting. He found out about the difference between plants and animals. About states of matter. About the nine planets. About the kinds of clouds. About simple machines.

He was overwhelmed. He read the book, all 200 pages, with big text and lots of illustrations, in two hours.

He forgot that he needed to go home, and got another book.

 _Geography for Kids_!

He found out about the world, and about the continents. He was in North America. His country was the United States of America. In the state of Maine. And that Townsville was a really small city, about 250,000 people. Next to Townsville was Citiesville, with about 600,000 people.

He looked at the window. He saw light! Panicking, he looked at the sky. It was red. The sun was rising. And he felt really sleepy.

He immediately put out the light, and put the book back on its shelf. He left the library, and hurried home to the shack.

That night, he absorbed more knowledge than he ever had before he stole Blossom's book. It was so overwhelming. His brain was so tired, that he needed a rest.

He went back to the shack, saw his brothers still sleeping, went to his mattress, closed his eyes, and was out like a rock.

* * *

…

 _ **4\. Big Blunder**_

 _August 10, 2004, Tuesday_

"Big bro, wake up!" Butch said.

"Go away. I'm sleepy!" Brick whined.

"We haven't eaten yet!" Boomer whined.

"Go steal something."

"C'mon! You slept at the same time we did!" Butch growled, and settled the matter by giving his sleeping brother a hard kick on the stomach.

The red eyed ruff quickly stood up, and punched his brother in the stomach, who fell on the floor in pain.

"I'm awake! Okay?"

His black haired brother picked himself up from the floor, but before he could do anything, Boomer interrupted him.

"I'm hungry! I wanna have some food!"

"Wanna isn't proper, you should use want to," Brick quipped without even thinking.

"What?" Butch asked.

"I mean, yeah, wanna is fine," said Brick, trying to hide his knowledge. After all, it was stupid, right? "So, want to eat some animal?"

"Huh?"

"You know, burgers and hotdogs! They're meat, so they came from animals, while vegetables came from plants," Brick himself quickly replied without thinking, repeating something he's read.

"You okay, bro?" asked Butch.

Brick castigated himself. He was sure he sounded so stupid.

"I am okay," he said. "Come on. Let's find something to eat!"

"Yay! Food!" Boomer cheered, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, drool dripping on the floor in anticipation. "Steal or Kill?"

"Steal. I ain't in the mood to hunt," Brick snapped.

"Hunt?" Butch asked.

Brick looked at him. He realized he used another word he just learned in the library. "It means killing animals for food. I heard it when some schmuck talked about it."

They floated towards the town, and saw a hotdog stand in the middle of the park.

"Hm, that smells really good!" Boomer remarked, his mouth watering in anticipation.

"Looks really good! I bet Maine doesn't have anything as delicious!"

Butch look at him. "Where's Maine?"

"Well duh! It's our state!"

"What's a state?" Boomer asked.

Brick looked at his brothers and was appalled. How could they not know? Then again, he himself didn't know about it until last night.

"And what does decious mean?" asked his blonde brother.

"Delicious, Boomer." Oh right. Delicious was another word he learned the night before. "It means it tastes really good!"

"So why didn't you just say so?" asked Butch. "How did you know that? Are you going nerdy on us?"

"Um, I heard someone talking about it," their leader 'explained.'

"Well it's stupid!" Butch remarked.

"Yeah, it's stupid!" Brick agreed. "I'm just testing to see if you'd know it's stupid."

"What do 'testing' mean?" asked Butch.

Brick groaned. He inadvertently used another word he had learned the night before.

"Nevermind. Let's go steal some breakfast!"

"Brick, it's noon. It's lunch," Boomer corrected. "Even I know that!"

"Yeah. Let's go!" the black haired ruff agreed, his stomach growling.

They approached the hotdog stand, both the green eyed and the blue eyed ruffs ready to snatch, but Brick raised his hand. "I've got a better way. We're going to ask."

"But we don't ask! We take!" Butch whined.

"Just watch, and stick close to me!" he said as the three floated in front of the vendor.

The teen-age seller, with a freckled face, brown eyes and hair, and about 17, paled at the sight.

Brick growled. "You, do you know who we are?"

The hot dog man nodded.

"We're the Rowdyruff boys!" said the leader. "Now give us some hotdogs!"

"Or you'll end up like the last one who didn't!" Butch threatened.

"Yeah, you'll end up like the last one who didn't!" Boomer repeated, earning him a hit from his Butch.

"Say your own lines, stupid!"

"Please don't hurt me!" the seller cried as he hurriedly made three hotdogs on a bun and handed it to the boys.

"Let's thrash him anyway," Butch said as soon as he received his hotdog.

Brick shook his head. "Not now! Let's go!"

The three boys flew and landed on the top of a building.

"Did you see his face? He looked like he's gonna pee his pants!" Boomer shouted before biting his food.

* * *

…

Blossom smiled as she flew to the library. She wanted borrow another book, and her sisters were accompanying her so she won't be ambushed alone again. She cursed the Rowdyruff Boys for that. She nearly got an overdue book because of them.

 _Stealing books! How uncivilized and uncouth!_

Her eyes darted around to see if they were around. She dismissed the thought. Those boys don't even know what a library was, let alone the knowledge to even go near one! They were uneducated boors!

Which was why Blossom was puzzled.

Why did Brick steal her book if that was so? Surely, that was not for the purpose of reading. _Brick, reading?_ Blossom resisted the urge to laugh out loud at the mere thought...Still, looking at him, sitting at the top of the observatory, it really looked like he was reading. _It's probably the pictures_ , as Buttercup said. There's no way he could be in anyway interested, couldn't he?

Of course not.

 _It was just to mess with me_ , she thought.

"We're here," Buttercup announced, breaking the pink puff's stream of thought. Seeing the building was enough to bring a smile to her face. It was one of her favorite places in Townsville.

They greeted the guard at the door, showed their library cards—even Buttercup had one, and entered. Blossom went to the elementary section, and scanned the books. She found what she was looking for.

 _Myths and Legends of Townsville_.

She picked it up, and waited quietly in line to check it out.

"I don't get you, Red! It's summer! And you stick your nose in a book!" Buttercup complained. "It wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to babysit each other!"

That earned her a couple of stares, and a quiet signal from the other library patrons.

"Sorry," the green eyed girl sheepishly apologized.

"Yeah, Blossom! We should enjoy the sun!" Bubbles agreed, besides her, in a whisper. "In a few weeks, it would be September. And first grade."

"Hello girls," the janitor, Joe Hendriks, greeted as he approached them, also in a whisper.

"Hello Mr Hendriks," the red haired heroine replied.

"Say, did you know that the ghosts of Townsville Library are back?" he whispered.

"What?" Bubbles asked, fear and surprise evident in her voice.

Blossom rolled her eyes, and Buttercup suppressed the urge to scoff.

"I saw them last night."

"You saw them?" the blonde puff asked.

"Well, not really, but I saw the lights on last night. The elementary section, I think."

"So why do you think there were ghosts?" Blossom asked, struggling to stamp out any trace of sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, I was the one who switched off the lights before it closed," he said. "I remember switching it off. And I was there when the library was locked. And I know that the lights were not on. But I was on my way home from the bar when I looked at the library, and the light were on."

"Couldn't it be a thief?" asked Buttercup.

"Nah. Nothing's stolen. Nothing's disturbed," said the janitor. "And all the doors were locked. Nothing could have entered!"

"Well, thanks for the information," Blossom said as she checked out the book. "Thank you Mrs Cartwright. I'll try my best to return it earlier than last time."

* * *

…

"Oh My God! The ghosts are back!" Bubbles shrieked, nearly in panic, as they flew home.

"He's trying to scare us!" Buttercup retorted. "There are no such things as ghosts!"

"He forgot to turn off the lights," Blossom argued. "He's making up the story to cover his mistake."

"But the ghosts—" Bubbles began.

"Aren't there!" Buttercup snapped. "Listen, I'm hungry. Who wants some hotdogs!"

Before her two sisters could say anything, she was flying towards a hotdog stand in the ground. Her sisters followed. Buttercup gave her order, and so did Blossom and Bubbles.

"Thank God you're here," the hotdog vendor stated as he received the money.

Blossom looked at him. He was scared, but mixed with relief upon seeing the girls.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The Rowdyruff Boys. They asked for free hotdogs. And they threatened me if I didn't!"

"Well, thank you," Blossom said as she rose in the air, one hand on her book, the other on her hotdog. The other two puffs followed her.

"So the boys are back to their old tricks," she said as she watched her sisters eat, before she herself took a bite.

* * *

…

She saw him.

She saw _them_.

The girls were high in the sky, doing a random patrol before going home. They again flew over the park when Blossom saw them. Boomer and Butch were on the ground, doing some horseplay under a tree.

Brick was on the tree. Resting on the branches. His eyes were open, but he was struggling to stay awake as his eyelids kept falling down.

She saw it.

Her opportunity.

Eye bags.

 _Perfect!_

She grinned. "Girls, the Rowdyruffs are below us," she whispered loudly.

Buttercup and Bubbles looked down.

"Let's pound 'em!" Buttercup said, a sadistic grin forming on her face.

"Yeah. Let's teach 'em a lesson! Stealing hotdogs is mean!" Bubbles agreed.

Blossom noticed she still had her book. "I need to bring this home," she said. "Wait for me, and don't do anything until I come back, okay? In the meantime, just watch them, and don't attract attention."

Her two sisters nodded.

One minute later, Blossom was back.

"Let's do this!" she declared.

…

* * *

 _ **5\. Boomer v Bubbles**_

Brick still felt a bit sleepy as he rested on the branches of a tree in the middle of the park. He closed his eyelids to rest his eyes just a little bit. He was really out of energy. His brothers were in the grass below the tree, doing something fun, but he didn't care what it was. He just wanted to take a nap.

"HEY, ROWDYRUFFS!"

He opened his eyes, annoyed. He wanted to rest, but he knew he had to wake up. It was Blossom's voice.

 _Leave me alone! I'm trying to have a nap!_

And sure enough, the three Powerpuff Girls were there, floating, with determined expressions etched on their faces.

"Don't you know it's not nice to not pay for your food?" Bubbles remarked.

"Oh yeah! Don't you know it's not nice to steal someone else's clothes?" Boomer answered from below, bitterness evident in his voice.

"You stole her book and beat her up," Buttercup added. "You three dumb losers are gonna pay for that!"

Brick really didn't want to fight. He knew they could beat the girls up—after all, they hadn't lost physically any fight with the girls. All their losses were because of "dirty tricks". Or were not losses at all. He still laughed when the girls claimed the time the boys stole the boat, the tank, and the plane from the girls as a victory for girls! They had fun! The girls simply stood there and left! They were the ones who retreated! If they tried to attack them, he and his brothers could have moved, and moved easily to kick their butt!

But right now, he was out of energy. He really wanted to sleep.

Yet he could not back down. His pride would not allow it.

He stifled a yawned as he went into a defensive position. He tried thinking a way to avoid a fight, but his brain was so tired that nothing came out. Running away would be useless, since he had not enough energy to get away from three determined puffs.

"Well, bring it on, Pinky," he remarked dryly.

The girls attacked them. He tried to formulate a battle plan, but again, the only thing that he could think of was how he wanted to crawl back to the sofa in the library, and take a nap.

Brick knew this was going to end badly for them.

* * *

…

With no orders from his leader, Boomer shot high in the sky, forming an energy ball in his hand and threw it at Bubbles. The blonde puff easily avoided it. She immediately sent an energy ball of her own his way. He smiled. He formed an electric bat, swung it, sending Bubbles' energy back to her. She easily avoided it.

He then flew at her, swinging his bat at her head, but she maneuvered herself from being hit, and gave a roundhouse kick that caught the back of his head. A stinging pain was felt and he fell to the ground.

"That hurt!" he whined, touching the bump on his head.

"That's what you get for being a meanie!" his counterpart shouted as she dove right after him.

He smiled. He waited until she was very close, then the bat reformed in his hand, he jumped forward until they were nearly touching, avoiding her fist, and swung his bat, crashing into her stomach, and throwing her high into the air. He then flew up, faster than Bubbles' velocity, appeared above her, and again, used his bat to hit her in the top of her head and send her to the ground.

"And Boomer's going for the homerun!" he shouted in excitement, even though he had no idea what a homerun was.

Bubbles emerged from the crater that she formed, determination etched into her face even as her body ached and she rubbed her head on the spot where the bat hit her. She flew to him, seemingly to repeat what she had done before, as Boomer waited in anticipation, bat in hand, ready to use it on her. Then she stopped a few feet, opened her mouth. And screamed.

The scream was so loud that he was forced to cover his ears. He noticed that he was thrown far away, the sound waves physically hurting him.

"That girl's shout! That hurt!" he said to himself.

"Take that, you mean bully you!" he heard her shout.

He looked at the direction of the voice, and he noticed Bubbles lunging for him.

He waited until she was close. He noticed that her mouth opened, about to scream. His eyes glowed, and laser shot her point blank.

She screamed. Not the sonic scream, but a scream of pain as laser engulfed her, and she fell to the ground. Boomer let himself fall to the ground, and drilled her into the pavement below. When they were on the ground, he punched her repeatedly in the head.

"Take that! And that! You meanie! You sissy! You stealer of clothes!" Boomer shouted as each blow landed on his opponent. "I hope your cootties hurt you and make you cry!"

Bubbles put her arms in front of her face to block the blows. Her eyes glowed red, and in a swift movement, lowered her arms and zapped him with laser. He was thrown back in pain. She followed and gave him a knee on his stomach.

He doubled up in pain, and felt her foot dig into his back. He fell to the asphalt. He saw Bubbles diving for him. He took a nearby lamppost, detached it from the ground, and swung it at her, catching her by surprise as it hit her on the face, sending her crashing into a nearby building.

The blue ruff stood up, pain throbbing throughout his entire body, but pretty sure that she was in greater pain. "You'll gonna pay for that! You played as me, and you sucked! Go and each a roach!" he shouted as he followed her into the rubble of the building.

She was not there. Where was she?

He was answered by a knee to his face, and he fell. This time, he felt blood tricking from his cut lip, as he stared at Bubbles, blood also dripping from her forehead and staining her blonde hair.

"You're the meanie, Boomer! You stole hotdogs, and beat up Blossom while she's alone!"

"We asked, and so what? You beat me up while I was alone, took away my clothes, put me in that light thingy!"

"Well, you're evil and you stole candy!" Bubbles replied. "You're a dumb and mean boy!"

"I am not dumb! And don't call me that! Only my brothers could do so," he said in anger, as he attacked her once more, his head crashing into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. He grabbed her ankle, spun her around, and slammed her into a nearby building, demolishing it.

He grinned as he plowed into her, giving punch after punch into her stomach and face, but she was able to escape, and gave him another sonic scream. He was forced to cover his ears as he was again thrown away, weakening him further.

"I'm gonna end this," he shouted, flying high in the sky. He formed a giant blue energy ball, in the sky, intending to throw it at the city.

"Don't do it! You'll destroy the city!" Bubbles shouted frantically. "People would die!"

"I don't care, as long as you three sissies with your stupid cootties die with them!" he shouted, and threw it the blonde puff. He didn't want to destroy the city, but he knew that she wouldn't let the ball hit the city.

 _C'mon stupid girl, save the city! Catch it and explode!_

Bubbles gasped as she made her own energy ball, and threw it at the gigantic one heading her way. The two energy balls collided, and there was a loud explosion in the air.

"Surprise," she heard a voice from behind her, and his foot connected with her head, sending her down to the concrete sidewalk. He followed her into the ground, and laser eyed her point blank, eliciting a painful scream from her counterpart. He then lifted her up by her leg, and swung her into a building, before moving right in front of her and giving her punch after punch in the stomach.

He threw her into the ground, and went into the sky, intending to create another energy ball to finish off his counterpart. Despite the beating that she took, she was still conscious. He was weak, but she was weaker.

He smirked, but before he could do anything, he heard his brother shout. "BOOMER, THIS IS BAD!"

He looked at his black haired brother, and to his horror, he was carrying Brick, unconscious, followed by Buttercup, and Blossom. He looked at Bubbles, who was down but not out. She joined her sisters.

…

* * *

 _ **6\. Butch v. Buttercup**_

Earlier…

"C'mon, sissy!"

Butch twitched in excitement as Buttercup charged him. He howled happily as he took a defensive position, not something he usually does but without orders, he will not attack.

The green puff initiated the fight by aiming a kick at his head. He raised his right hand and easily blocked it. He grinned sadistically, as he buried his left fist on her stomach. She staggered in pain, yet recovered quickly enough to avoid his next punch, aimed at her head. She ducked, and punched him hard in his stomach, causing him to jump back, before creating an energy ball and throwing it at the green puff.

Buttercup jumped to her left, avoiding the energy ball, and formed an energy ball of her own. She threw it at her opponent. He made an energy shield and grinned as it absorbed and dissipated the attack. His eyes glowed, and red laser shot from his eyes, though his shield, hitting her.

"What the? You gotta be kidding me! Your own energy attacks go through your shield, and mine don't?" she cried in astonishment.

"Drink it in, Butters!" he scoffed as he began pumping his first in the air, an energy ball forming, and threw it at the green clad girl.

She dodged it, and closed the gap between them. She grabbed him, and prepared to headbutt her counterpart. She slammed her head through the shield, passing through it without any problem, and stopped her head one inch from his face.

"Guess physical attacks go through your stupid shield!"

Her eyes glowed, and he suddenly found himself engulfed in laser.

"AHHHHH!" he shouted, but her gripped tightened, and she swung her head back with as much force as possible. She smashed it against his noggin, making him feel dizzy. She released him, but there was no reprieve as it was followed by a kick to the head, to the stomach, and an elbow to his back as he was bent over, sending him to the concrete below.

Before he could recover, he felt both of her feet on his tummy, sending him deeper into the sewers and into the rails of an underground railroad. To get her off, he looked at the toughest puff, and laser shot her point blank, and she retreated.

Gathering as much energy as he could, he flew into her, smashing both his fists into her back, eliciting a painful scream that made the green eyed ruff grin. He crashed her into a building, got her legs, swung her around and tossed her up in the air.

He followed, and kicked his right foot into her head, sending the toughest puff into the pavement below.

"Had enough?" he laughed.

"Not on your life," she spat as she flew into him, only to be stopped by an energy ball that he threw into her path. The explosion hurt her and threw her back into the concrete, only to be met by Butch, who smiled, as he grabbed her head, and gave her one sickening headbutt. It made him a bit dizzy, but it was okay. It was revenge for the earlier headbutt she gave to him. He stared into the back of her head, before laser beams shot out and hit it.

She screamed as pain engulfed her being.

He attacked her with more physical assaults. A punch to her stomach. A kick to her head. More punches to her face. He threw her high in the air, and prepared to finish her. He created a giant energy ball, and threw it at the green puff.

But it was a mistake. She, despite being weakened, was able to dodge it, and it continued on harmlessly into space. She shot up in the air, desperate to have some breathing room. She was tough, but Butch, to her distaste, was just as tough, and in some cases, even tougher.

She was losing. He knew it.

Butch grinned and followed her into the air. The battle transformed into an aerial battle as he attacked her head on. Buttercup was able to block the first punch, but not the second. She retaliated and gave a kick to his stomach, but he blocked the follow up hook to his head. He gave a left hook on her cheek, connecting, but she recovered and landed her own straight left into his forehead.

She rammed her head into his tummy, knocking the wind out of him, and leaving him clutching his stomach in pain. She followed it up by a kick to the back of his head, and he crashed into the concrete below. Before he could react, she was upon him, sending punch after punch against his face. She finished by grabbing his arm, and threw him to the sky.

Luckily, he was able to stop his ascent and threw a laser ball at the charging Buttercup. The green puff avoided it, and closed the gap between them, giving an uppercut to his chin that nearly dislocated his jaw.

She then swung her body, delivering a roundhouse kick to his head from her left foot, and another swing and her right foot connected to his face. She grinned as things seemed to be going her way, and prepared another swing. Her left foot spun to smash his head, but it stopped. She looked, and he caught it with both his hands, with a sick grin on his face.

His eyes glowed red, and she felt herself hurting as laser poured from his eyes into her exposed body, his hands' firm grip on her left ankle never relaxing. He then held her limp body upside down with his left hand.

She looked at him, and tried her laser eyes.

Only for him to put up his shield.

He began pounding her up-side-down form with his right hand like she was a literal punching bag.

She was going.

He knew it.

That was the advantage of the Rowdyruff Boys over the Powerpuff Girls. They were always a little bit stronger than the Powerpuff Girls. They had beaten the girls before in a straight fight. The girls, hadn't. They won before, but only after using tricks and outsmarting them, but never a straight and fair fight. He was weak, dizzy, and hurting all over, but he knew Buttercup was way worse.

He threw her to the ground, and prepared to finish her off before she could recover.

He looked around to see his brothers do the same to their counterparts. Boomer was doing his part, and Brick…

Butch paled as he saw his leader on the ground, unconscious, and Blossom heading straight for him at a sickening speed, obviously intending to kill him. All thoughts of finishing off his counterpart vanished from his mind as he raced towards his brother. He formed a ball of energy, and threw it at the pink puff.

"What the?" she said after she was hit. She momentarily stopped her dive to her counterpart, to see her assailant.

It was enough for Butch to pick up his brother.

"BOOMER, THIS IS BAD!" he shouted.

He joined his blond brother, and the two looked at their counterparts, and Blossom. Buttercup and Bubbles were beaten up, weaker than Butch and Boomer, but Blossom…

Blossom was fresh, and seemingly without a scratch.

What had happened to Brick?

* * *

 _ **7\. Blossom vs Brick**_

…

Earlier…

Brick prepared for Blossom's assault. He saw the kick coming to his left, so he prepared to raise his left hand to block. Yet before he could fully raise his hand, her foot connected with his cheek, and he was thrown far away.

Hurt, he stood up, and attacked her, but his punch was avoided. He swung his foot, intending to plant it on her stomach, but she moved back and easily avoided his offense.

Was he slow today?

His eyes glowed, and shot at Blossom, but it was easily counteracted by her own laser eyes. A tug of war laser attack commenced, and both pink and red supers pumping as much energy into it to try to overwhelm the other.

At first it was a draw. It was even to his seeming advantage. His laser inched close and closer into her. Then he saw her smile, and suddenly, her laser and energy became so much stronger. His own energy was easily pushed back, and he felt the sensation of being hit by a powerful laser attack.

He screamed in pain, and he backed off a bit.

His body was hurting, and he was weaker than before. Blossom was barely scratched. He knew that a simple laser attack shouldn't do so much damage.

He knew it! His energy was low! He lacked sleep!

"Brick, Brick, Brick! _Give up_ already," Blossom said with an air of superiority as floated in the air. She looked down at him, literally and figuratively. "You know you can't win this one."

He knew that already. But he wasn't giving up.

"Me give up? To a _dumb_ Powerpuff like you? You're weaker than us!" he taunted.

"Look at you! Do you really think that you are weaker than me? Especially after you _haven't slept_ at all last night? How many hours did you sleep?"

 _How did she?_

"How did I know? Look at your eye bags," she said.

"So what?"

"So it means that you are weak. I had a good night's sleep last night, and I will take my sweet revenge on you, dumb ruff!"

"Who you callin' dumb?"

"You. Especially now. You dare expose yourself after having no energy because you partied somewhere by yourself without your brothers? Your brothers are full of energy, while you are not," she lectured. "That's dumb! D-U-M-B dumb!"

"I'm gonna sock you!"

"But then again, I should've expected that from you. Someone who can't spell dumb surely would not think of such a complicated thing as actually being ready for battle, all the time! You are sooooooo stupid! I am _ashamed_ to call you my counterpart. I am a genius, while you are mentally deficient."

 _So she's making up big words to make me feel dumb? Two can play that game._

"Well, you are delecant yourself! A smurgarent sissy!"

He knew those words didn't exist, but he assumed so did words like expose, or deficient, or eye bags. Well eye and bags do exist, but there's wasn't any bag made to hold eyes, was there? Blossom was just making it up to make her look really smart. She's dumber than Brick the Bludgeoner, that's for sure.

She gave a haughty laugh. "Oh Brick, it's so pitiful that you wallow in your ignorance. Ignorance is bliss they say, and it applies to you more than anyone else. After all, that's the only way you could be happy given how stupid and dumb you are! I'm sure you don't even know that you're violating the law."

"Shut up, you califulac crilek!"

"Speaking French? But I don't think you even know that language exists! But just so you know, ignorance of the law is not an excuse! IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE! Because if it was so, you three are off the hook, since you're so dumb and stupid, and you don't know anything!"

Thinking that she was just engaging in a battle to make up words, he shouted, "No, it ain't Prench, but it's Arlish!"

Blossom laughed. A mocking laughter. "You are a riot, Brick, but I'm sure you weren't making a joke. You're perfectly serious. Because you're the joke."

Brick gritted his teeth. He needed a way out of this. He was going to lose. He _knew_ that. But he does not want to die. Or be taken captive by the Powerpuff Girls. He looked at his brothers. They were doing well. Perhaps he could buy time by talking and talking until his brothers could dispose of their counterparts and they could take Blossom all at once?

"Well, you're the joke anyway! You never beat us in a fight without resorting to tricks!" he shouted.

He could see Blossom's eyes dart sideways, looking at their siblings.

"You're just too stupid to fall for such simple strategies," she said. She smiled, then suddenly moved and Brick found her right wrist buried in his stomach.

The wind was knocked out of him, and he fell to his knees, clutching his tummy in pain. Then he felt her feet give him a hard kick on his chest, giving him more pain and throwing him into a building. The concrete cracked, but did not break. He felt bones breaking. He coughed and blood poured out of his mouth.

"Understand this, Ruff! You're never a threat! You're never our equal in any way! You are evil! You will never ever win against us!" Blossom declared as she grabbed his shirt and pulled his face to hers, her pink orbs staring into his red ones.

He smirked. "Sez you! We already beat you before, and we'll do so again!"

His eyes glowed, and laser eyed his counterpart point blank.

His smile disappeared when it didn't have any effect.

He was very weak.

Blossom dropped him. "Let's see. I'm going to give you a chance. A free shot. Make it count."

She dropped her defenses and put her hands down.

"You're stupid to do that!" he shouted as he gathered his remaining energy and punched her in the face.

It did not even faze her.

He gave another kick. He hit her on the stomach.

She did not even move.

"You are pathetic," she said, her pink orbs staring into his disbelieving red eyes. She looked at her sisters and their fight against his brothers.

She, in a movement too fast for the ruff to see, went behind him. He felt a powerful pain in the back of his head, and his vision became black.

* * *

 _ **8\. Defeat and Retreat**_

…

Butch looked at the three Powerpuffs above them. Blossom was in the middle, a smirk appearing on her face, without a scratch. Bubbles was on her left, weak and beaten up, but still strong enough to fight Boomer for a few minutes. Buttercup was also weak, and she would be defeated if she fought him alone. But Blossom was with them, and she could easily defeat either of them in their weakened state.

He knew what he must do. Yet he did not want to seem a coward. He hesitated.

Fortunately, the decision was made for him.

"RUN!" Boomer shouted, fear evident in his eyes, as he dove to the streets below.

He decided it would be better to be a coward than to die or be captured, and he flew after his brother. He found him hiding in a narrow alley.

"What should we do, big bro?" he asked. "I don't wanna die! Or be put in that light again!"

"Hey Rowdyruffs! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yeah, meanies! Come out!" Bubbles added.

"You can't hide forever!" they heard Blossom shout.

There was a loud crash in the distance, and they heard screaming. It gave the two ruffs hope.

"Oh my God! A monster!" they heard Bubbles shout, gasping.

The boys looked at the direction of the sound, and there was a giant lizard monster attacking the city near the sea. The green ruff hoped that the girls would prioritize the monster over them.

"Girls, let's save the city!"

Butch could almost cheer Blossom for her decision.

"But what about the boys?" asked Buttercup, still in a loud voice.

 _Forget about us!_

"We'll get them next time. Saving the city from the monster is top priority," Blossom answered. Butch could swear there was a hint of disappointment in her voice even as he sighed in relief. He looked at Boomer. Hope had returned to his dark blue orbs.

"Hurry! The monster is destroying the beach district!" Bubbles shouted in panic.

Butch desperately hoped that they would attend to the monster first.

 _Leave, you cowards! Please leave us alone!_

"Let's go girls!" Blossom commanded, and the two ruffs saw the three puffs fly toward the monster.

Butch looked at his blond brother. His dark green eyes looked into Boomer's dark blue ones, and nodded.

Both flew as fast as they could towards the forest, towards Fuzzy's shack.

Towards home.

He looked at the city as they left. The girls were having a bit more trouble than before, since only Blossom was fully fit to fight.

He looked at Brick, slumped over his shoulder. What was wrong with his brother?

They reached the shack and immediately put his brother to a "bed"—a mattress without any sheets, and covered him with dirty cloths—their blankets. Boomer came with some wood, and put it on the fireplace. He used his eyebeams to light up a fire.

"Watch over him, lil bro," he said.

"Where you goin'?"

"Getting some grub."

"You gonna steal?"

"And risk getting caught by three powderpuffs? Nah. I'm gonna kill some critters," the green ruff answered.

Butch went deep into the forest, and immediately saw what he was looking for.

A small deer. He crept close to it. The deer spotted him, and galloped away.

It was futile.

The ruff easily overtook him, and snapped its neck. He carried it back to just outside the cabin. There, he skinned the carcass, and extracted the meat and placed it on Fuzzy's tub. He incinerated the liver, intestines and other organs. The fur he put in another place. It would be useful as blankets and coats during cold weather.

He used a large machete to cut the meat into strips, and spread the said strips on the tub like it was a giant pan. The green ruff used his laser eyes to cook the meat, using small amounts of power and heat to do so.

It was not the first time he did so. All three learned how to utilize their powers to cook meat since they stole the shack from Fuzzy. It was one of the few things that Fuzzy was able to teach them, in exchange for untying him and letting him permanently leave "his property".

After a few minutes, the meat began to smell good. He increased the power to increase the heat, noting that the metal tub was now red hot, until he judged that the meat was ready to eat

"Is it done yet?" Boomer asked as he opened the door.

"Not yet, now go back and watch our leader, dummy!"

"Call me when it's done!"

"Dumb idiot," Butch grumbled. He went to the woods and took three wooden stakes. He used a mild form of laser to sterilize it. It would be used as a fork since the meat was too hot to touch.

"Hey, he's waking up!" he heard his brother shout.

"Because you're too noisy, idiot!" he replied as he went inside. Boomer was looking at the redhead.

Butch joined him, and was about to say something when they heard their brother make some kind of noise. His eyes slowly opened, and his red orbs were staring at both of them.

"What happened? You beat Buttercup and Bubbles?"

Butch knew that it would crush his pride to learn that he was the only one who lost. He hesitated, considered fibbing about what really happened, but he hated lying to his brothers. So he nodded. And he almost regretted it upon seeing his brother's red eyes get deflated.

"We're sorry, big brother!" Boomer said, sounding ashamed. "I didn't beat up Bubbles fast enough and I didn't get to help you!"

"Same here," Butch whispered. He guessed that was Brick's plan all along.

"I… I got beaten up," he said, and the green ruff could see how crushed the spirit of his brother was.

"I'm sure that Pink Eyes did some trick and did not play fair," Butch reassured. "They're pathetic and weak!"

Brick's eyes seemed to brighten at that suggestion. "Yeah. We're still stronger than the girls. We're still better."

"We'll get 'em next time!" Boomer reassured. "They're meanies! Only we should be meanies, since we're evil, and they're goody two shoes. Goody two shoes shouldn't be mean! We outta kick them and learn em a few lessons!"

"Hey, what's that I smell?" asked the leader.

"Meat. Deer."

"Oh venison?" Brick asked.

"What?" Butch replied.

"Meat from a deer. Just like pork is meat from a pig, or beef from cow?"

"Dunno what you're talking about," the green ruff replied.

"Where'd you learn that?" asked Boomer.

"Oh I heard someone talk that while I was swipin' something from the meat shop," he said as he got up, still sore from the beating he took, and walked out. He took one of the stakes Butch made, and impaled one of the strips of venison on the still hot tub.

The other two ruffs did too, and they ate their dinner in silence.

* * *

 _ **9\. Stupid Rowdyruffs!**_

 _Two days later, August 12, 2004, Thursday…_

Brick looked at the library. It was about six in the evening, about an hour after it closed. He really shouldn't be here. He really shouldn't leave his two brothers alone. Pinky and her sisters could spot him and he'd be in the same spot Boomer was when he was caught alone.

But he wanted to go here. He _needed_ it. Two days without reading, without knowing something new, was excruciating. So he and his brothers ate dinner at a very early hour of five in the afternoon so he could come to the library early, and go home early too so he could have enough sleep and avoid his mistake.

His mistake…

It was his mistake that led to the defeat of the Rowdyruff Boys. Not that he lacked sleep, only that he was stupid enough to expose himself and his brothers to the possibility of being spotted by the Powerpuffs in the open while he lacked energy. It rankled him that he was the weak link in that fight, but also proud of Butch and Boomer for beating their counterparts. That confirmed to him that they were stronger than the Powerpuff Girls.

One of these days, their enemies will run out of tricks, and true strength will be victorious.

And Brick will step on them, laughing at their faces, proclaiming their victory.

And he would shove Blossom's face in the dirt! He got so mad at that girl! Who does she think she was? Thinking herself so mighty! And smart! She'd resorted to making up words! He showed her! She got so mad at his cleverness she decided to beat him up instead.

He was the smartest one! Smarter than any dumb powderpuff. And with him reading all the time, the gap will only grow wider.

So he got beaten up. So what? He was fully healed within a day. Chemical X made sure of that.

He got his paperclip, and entered through the terrace door. He flew to the kids section, and began reading.

He picked _World History for Kids_ and settled on the sofa.

His eyes were glued as he found out about the past. Alexander the Great. Julius Caesar. Augustus. Attila. Charlemagne. George Washington. Hitler. Kennedy.

He found his new favorite subject.

He finished 300 pages, with lots of pictures and big fonts suitable for seven year olds, in two hours.

Then he went for _United States History for First Grade._

Again he couldn't stop reading. The Thirteen Colonies. The Revolution. The Civil War. The World Wars. The Cold War.

He finished 200 pages in a little over an hour.

He looked around and it was already dark. He switched on the light.

He was pleased with himself. The past was a fascinating story. He wanted to be on the pages of history books one day. His name would be written alongside Napoleon. Alexander. Washington. His picture would grace the history books, and kids in the future would read about him.

He decided he'll go back to English. He browsed the English section, and picked up _English Spelling and Pronunciation_. He began reading it, and began to learn the rules of English orthography.

His mood was positive, humming as more information got imprinted into his brain.

Until he came into the topic of silent letters.

At first, he had nothing to be apprehensive about. He learned about silent e, and how it made the pronunciation of vowels long or short. He already knew that based on his reading, but now he understood why.

Then he went under the heading dummy letters. He noticed an example.

 _DUMB._

He stared at the word. Surely, that cannot be right? He was hoping that he was right. Normally, he wouldn't bat an eye, but that word had special significance for him.

If he was right, then he really was smarter than Blossom. If he was wrong… Hopefully, he was not.

Maybe _dumb_ meant something else? And the correct spelling for the synonym of stupid is dum?

He looked around the section. He saw _Dictionary For Kids._

He wondered what it was. He dropped the _Spelling_ book and got the dictionary. He looked at it, and immediately grasped its significance. Perhaps the book could confirm that he was right.

He went to the letter D.

Da, De, Di, Do, Du.

Dual.

Duck.

Dud.

Due.

Duke.

Dull.

 _Dumb._

He froze.

He reread the dictionary. He had hoped to find _dum._

It wasn't there.

The word didn't exist.

With dread, he looked at how _dumb_ was defined.

 _Dumb. Lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted._

 _Dumb. D-U-M-B._

He quickly went to the S _pelling for Kids_ book. He again read on silent letters.

He still could not believe it. So he went back to the dictionary. He recalled all the words that Blossom supposedly "invented" during their fight.

 _Expose. French. Violated. Deficient. Strategies._

All were existing words. And Blossom correctly used them.

He hoped that the words he invented really existed.

 _Califulac. Crilek._

It was not there.

He was wrong.

He was not smart. He was _stupid_. _Dumb_. Dumber than Blossom. Dumber than Bubbles even. His belief that he was smart…

Was a myth.

Was just a delusion.

It was Him's fault. He was the one who was their first teacher. After their death, they went to Hell, and Him "trained" them for their return. Part of their training was lessons. Like how to read. And spell. Too bad he only thought them the basics. They wouldn't need to know much after they destroyed the Powerpuffs, after all. That's what Him said.

And he was stupid enough to believe him.

He now knew why he can't beat the girls even if he and his brothers were stronger. The Rowdyruffs were too stupid to win, and the Powerpuffs easily outsmarted them.

He reflected on the insults Blossom gave.

They were not meaningless or baseless banter or ignorant calling of names.

They were true. They really were insulting. He, the Rowdy leader, was worthless. He was an ignoramus who knew nothing. He, not Boomer, deserved the title of Dumber than the Dumbest.

Pinky was not calling him those names just to get into his head or to mess with him. She really was putting him down, looking down upon him upon her high pedestal. Looking down from her high throne. She knows everything. Well, not everything, but she's smarter than him.

Better than him.

She knew more.

He knew nothing.

He was even, before this night, too dumb to know he was dumb.

He saw the book got wet. Tears were pouring from his eyes. It did not matter. How can he have any pride left after he found out that every basis for his ego, for his very identity, turned out to be a lie? He was an idiot. A retard. An imbecile.

"NO! NO!" he shouted. He slowly floated to the sofa, and cried.

* * *

 _ **10\. The Promise**_

 _The next day, August 13, 2004, Friday…_

Boomer opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed were the red eyes of his brother looking at him.

"Brick?" he asked, yawning. He noticed something about his eldest brother. His crimson eyes had that look that told him that something was going to happen.

His brother had plans.

Big plans.

There was a look of excitement, as if he had discovered something new, yet there was a hint of disappointment.

"Boomer, get up," Brick commanded, and Boomer did as told. It was only then that he noticed that Butch was already awake, standing beside his brother. He had that look that told him that he was just as puzzled as he was.

"What's up?" Boomer asked.

"Everything," his red eyed brother said in a slow, deadly, scary tone.

"What?" Butch asked.

"My brothers, let us do again what we did in Hell. Let's do the promises again, or as I learned, let us swear an oath. You two go first."

"What for?" asked Butch.

"Don't question me," he snapped. "Just do it!"

Butch and Boomer looked at each, and he nodded. Boomer remembered the time when they did it the very first time. They were dead. Boomer rather not recall the circumstance that occasioned it.

Both kneeled, one knee on the floor, their left hand over the chest, their right in a fist, raised towards Brick.

It was position that was taught by one of the friendlier devils in Hell.

"I, Boomer," Boomer began. Butch said the exact same words, but instead said, "I, Butch,"

They continued, "promise to follow you, our brother, our leader, Brick, wherever we are, forever. We will always follow your orders, and do what you say, whether you are right, or whether you are wrong."

The two then stood up. Brick then put one hand on the chest of each brother, his left palm on Boomer, and right one on Butch.

"I promise to lead you, to be the best leader that I could be, and to never, on purpose, let you two down. I will lead you to glory, to victory, and power!"

The three then raised their right hand on the air and began saying in unison the conclusion of their promise.

"I promise to always take care of both my brothers, and never to lie to them on purpose. We will live together, we will die together, and never leave each other! We will kill all those who stand in our way, and help those who stand with us."

Boomer reflected on it. It was the only reason that they survived Him's training. They stuck together no matter what Him threw at them. And they spoke with one voice. That of their leader, Brick. Their experiences with Him etched all the words in the memories.

Nothing, not even their teasing, the fights, the fact that they could be cruel to each other, could break that.

"My brothers, I found out something," he began as soon as the oaths were made.

"What?" asked Butch.

"We are stupid!"

"What? We're not!" Butch protested.

"Shut up! Yes we are. We are idiots! We know nothing. And I hate to say it, those Powerpuff Girls are better than us. At least for now."

Boomer looked at his brother in horror. He was crazy. That was not their brother. He would never admit of such a fact. Not to mention that it was not plain true. The Rowdyruffs were better than the Powerpuffs!

"Don't joke, brother," Butch snapped.

"Oh it's no joke. I found out recently why we can't beat the girls even if we are stronger," said Brick. "It's because they keep outsmarting us. We were too stupid to fall for their tricks."

"That's not true!" Boomer shouted.

Butch was too stunned to even talk.

"No, it's true," said Brick. "We're stupid. We're dumber than the Powerpuff Girls! We're dumber than Bubbles for crying out loud! I am dumber than Bubbles. So are you, Boomer, and Butch. And she's the dumbest of the Powerpuffs!"

The two brothers can't believe what his brother was saying.

"Take that back!" Butch said.

"Make me!"

Butch gritted his teeth, raised his fist, and attacked his brother. Brick caught his lunging arm, walked slightly to the side, and gave a punch on the green ruff's stomach.

"Now listen here, and listen good," Brick stated. "Right now, the Powerpuff Girls are better than us, and smarter than us. So what should we do?"

"We become better than the girls!" Boomer answered.

"Right," Brick said.

"But how?" asked the blue eyed ruff.

Brick grabbed the shirt of Butch. "You Butch, you will become smarter than Buttercup. Promise me that."

Butch glared at him, but he nodded.

"Say it loud!"

" _ **I'm gonna be smarter than Buttercup**_!"

Brick released him.

" _I am going to be better than Buttercup_!" Butch again recited, his voice becoming excited, his body twitching. "I am gonna show that good for nothing Puff that _ **I am better than her in every way**_!"

"That's okay. Now Boom, you are dumb. Dumber than Bubbles. For now. Promise me this. You are gonna be smarter than Bubbles."

"I promise."

"Say it again!"

" _ **I am gonna be smarter than Bubbles, Brick**_!" Boomer nearly shouted. "I am gonna show everyone that I am smarter than Bubbles!"

"Great. Now listen to my promise. I swear, I swear that _**I will be better and smarter than Blossom**_."

Both Boomer and Butch nodded.

"My brothers, we the Rowdyruff Boys, are gonna beat those girls up! But first, we will show them that we are better, and smarter than them! I promise you that!"

"And I promise you that I'll do my part!" Butch shouted, raising fist in excitement

Boomer wondered what this was all about. Still, he trusted his eldest brother. "And I'll do mine! Bubbles will never know what hit her!"

"Good. First thing we gotta do is we should become smart and know things," Brick began.

Boomer paled. That means school. He doesn't want to go to school! Luckily, Butch voiced out his thoughts.

"I hate school! I ain't gonna go to one!" he declared.

"Who says we're gonna go to school? We're gonna learn, and we're gonna know things, and we're gonna be smarter than the girls, without going to school! And I know how!" Brick declared.

Boomer could not help but clap. His brother was planning something, and if it would lead to the Powerpuff Girls getting their butt kicked, he's all for it!

 **End of Chapter I**


	2. I-The Ghosts of Townsville Library

**An Education For Power**

* * *

Brick tries to educate himself and his brothers so they can beat the Powerpuff Girls. Chapter 2. Boomer and his brothers enter an entirely new world of stories and adventures. Are the Ghosts of Townsville Library real? Boomer and Bubbles thinks so. Their siblings does not. So what would happen if the girls meet the ghosts? And who's the ogre and the big bad wolf and Princess too?

 **Note:** Please leave a _review_ if you like this story or chapter! Thanks!

* * *

 **Book I**

 **How to Learn?**

 **Chapter II**

 **The Ghosts of Townsville Library**

 _ **11\. Delightful Fairy Tales**_

* * *

Boomer was excited. His big brother Brick promised them that they will learn, and that they would be smarter and better than the stupid Powerpuffs! Brick promised that he would be smarter than Bubbles. But Bubbles was already more stupid than him, so Boomer wondered, why bother?

But Brick told them that they were stupid, and that they were more stupid than the girls, and that they would work to become smarter.

What happened to big brother? He wasn't like this before. He was always confident!

It doesn't matter. Brick was his leader. He would always follow him. He led them through hell and back, and he was always right.

They went to the terrace of the third storey of the library, and Brick used his paper clip to open the door.

"Why don't we just destroy the stupid door?" Butch asked, whispering.

"Cause I don't want anyone to know what we're doing," Brick explained.

"Why?" asked the green ruff.

"Because I want to surprise the girls when they find out that we're better than them!" he replied.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see the look on their faces!" Boomer concurred. Especially Bubbles. He'll show her! Stealing his clothes and trying to be him! Even eating cockroaches! Eww! He would like to shove another slug in her pretty little dress and watch her cry like a baby!

They entered, and his blue eyes widened upon the sight. Books upon books upon books! Just looking at it gave him a headache.

What had Brick been thinking? Was he punishing them? Was he out of his mind? Scratch that! He thought and said that they were stupid and even more stupid than the Powerpuff Girls? _Of course he was out of his mind!_ Someone took over his body!

"Wow!" he said a little loudly. "Books! Stupid books! That's scary!"

That earned him hit to the head from Brick. "Quiet, Boom. Want someone to find us?" he whispered loudly.

Boomer kept quiet as he rubbed his head. A hit from his big brother meant that he did something wrong, or said something stupid. Most probably said something stupid.

But that's okay! After Brick's plan, he won't be stupid anymore! He would be smarter than Bubbles!

Brick led them to a portion called _Elementary Section._

He turned around and began talking softly. "Listen. I have been here twice already. And I've learned so much."

So there's where big brother had been learning his big new words! Cool!

"You're becoming a nerd," Butch remarked, unimpressed.

"Listen, I'd rather be a nerd and be a know-it-all, than a know-nothing," he hissed. "And here are my orders. You will know as much as you can. I'm not saying you should be bookworms, but please, be better than your counterparts."

Butch nodded. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"So what should we do?" Boomer asked.

 _Hopefully, go to sleep or play._

Reading was boring. He was already smarter than Bubbles, so why do all of this again? But an order was an order, whether his leader was right or wrong, as long as he wasn't leading them wrong on purpose, he had to follow. For his big brother!

"Glad you asked that, Boom," Brick began. "Him's education for us was lacking. But at least he taught us how to read. Now, get anything, any book, and read. I don't care what. Just read. Okay?"

Boomer was disappointed, but nodded, and so did Butch as Brick switched on the lights.

"So what do we read?" asked Butch.

"I don't know. Anything you like!"

With that, Brick got a book. The title was _Plants and Animals_ _for Kids_.

Boomer got a book besides it. It was called _The Solar System._

He began reading. He immediately closed it. It was boring. Something about planets and stuff.

He put it back. He glanced at the book Brick was reading. Boomer could understand it, but it did not hold his interest.

This was gonna be boring! Only Brick, it seems, found something to do. That was so unfair. How could Boomer learn if all the books were boring? This was stupid! Brick himself said it was stupid just a few days ago. Why did his mind change? _Stupid Rowdy promise to follow the leader at all times!_

His eyes scanned the shelves, and one particular item interested him.

 _Children's Stories._

He looked at a book.

 _Snow White._

He grabbed it and began reading it. He was more interested in it than the boring ones his leader was reading. And he was entertained too. Still, he found out it was a bit too girly for his taste. Why would that stupid prince kiss the sleeping girl? Did he want to get cooties? And the dwarfs! They should've left Snow White to die! Still, it made him laugh, so there's that.

"Hey Brick?" Boomer asked.

"Read your own book!" his leader snapped.

"Um, Brick, what does queen and witch mean? And what is a dwarf?"

His big brother looked at him, stood up, got a book, and handed it to him.

"It's a dictionary. Look it up!"

"Um, how do I use this dicshawree?" Boomer asked.

"It's dictionary. Okay. You know the alphabet?"

"Yeah. A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z!" he sang. "Him taught us that in Hell!"

"Well, the words here are arranged, just look at the word, and they give you what it means," Brick explained.

"Ah, okay!" Boomer said, grabbing the book.

So what does _Queen_ mean?

 _Queen. Woman who rules a country and who usually inherits her position and rules for life_

 _She was crowned queen of England._

 _the reign of Queen Elizabeth_

 _b : the wife of a king_

 _the king and his queen_

He looked for W. He looked for the word wicked.

 _Wicked._ Evil. Morally bad.

He was happy to know what those words mean. He then looked for witch, dwarf and prince.

He then appreciated the story even more.

He took another book.

 _Cinderella._

He read it in the chair, and began reading with a dictionary besides him.

It was too girly and too sissy-like. A tale Bubbles would surely like! Cinderella was so like Bubbles! Stupid! Why go to a place in a pumpkin and a big tent for clothes? She should've beaten up her two step sisters! So after he finished, he looked for another story.

 _The Three Little Pigs_

Now that was a tale he liked. Not stupid and girly like the two stories he previously read.

Three brother pigs! He already liked the premise, and he imagined their enemy was the big bad wolf.

"Whatcha readin', Boom?" Butch asked, peering over his shoulder.

" _The Three Little Pigs,_ " Boomer said with a big grin on his face. "It's about three brothers who make houses made of straw, wood, and brick—"

"Sounds stupid."

"It is not. And what are you readin'? Brick said we should be readin'?"

"I am. Look at this," the green ruff said, and showed Boomer what appeared to be a book with pictures on front. The picture was of a man in blue tights, wearing red underwear over his tights, and a red blanket on his shoulder, with an S on his tights.

"Superman? He looks stupid. Even more so than those powderpuffs!"

"Na ah! He's cool! He is violent! He kicks butt! Wham! Kablam! Kersplat!" he began saying as he pumped his fists though the air.

"Well, it's late," Brick finally said, interrupting their talk. "Time to sleep."

"Aw! I want to read more stories! They are the most fun!" Boomer protested, surprising even himself.

"Yeah! And those books from the comic book section? Wow! Villains, and even heroes, are so cool!" the green ruff agreed. "I still have to read about _Batman_ , then the _Flash_ , then _Spiderman_!"

"Glad you like it, but it's late, and we've got to hit the sack," the redhead explained.

"So we're gonna leave?" Boomer asked.

"No. See here," Brick said, pointing to a nice looking chair. "This is a sofa. And there's another one. One of them is long enough for two of us, and it's warm enough in here so we won't need blankets."

"I dunno," said Boomer.

"C'mon, try it!" Brick ordered.

Boomer hesitated, but finally gave in, sinking into the sofa.

It was soft. It was very comfortable. Much more so than the mattress at home. "This feels so good!" he exclaimed. If only for the sofas, he would want to spend all his nights in the library.

"Yeah. I can't go back to our shack after lying down in this!" Butch exclaimed as he savored the feel of lying in the soft cushion.

Brick switched off the lights before settling himself in the other chair.

Boomer looked at his brother. He was right! Maybe they will become smarter than those stupid powderpuffs! One thing was for sure. He was having fun. Stories were fun. Even if the bad guys lose, but it was fun nonetheless. He just would pretend that the good guys were really evil, and the bad guys were good.

…

* * *

 _ **12\. I'll Blow Your House Down**_

Boomer opened his eyes and saw… Mojo Jojo?

"Wake up, you good for nothing boy!" the monkey said. "Get up! Rise and shine! Awaken from your slumber and feel the morning fresh air!"

Boomer nodded as he woke up and walked toward the living room of their home. His two brothers were there.

"What's up, Pops?" asked Brick.

"What's up is that I am throwing you three useless mouths out of my home. Now get out and seek your fortune?"

"What?" was the only thing Boomer could say before they were dumped unceremoniously out of their home.

"So what do we do?" Butch asked.

"We build a house! To protect ourselves from the wolves!" Brick declared.

"With what?" asked the green ruff.

"I know! Let's use straw!" Boomer proclaimed. He felt so smart thinking about it.

"No, that's stupid! We should use wood!" Butch asserted.

"Both of you are stupid. We will use brick!" their leader ordered.

"The only reason why you wanted to use brick is because of your name!" Butch accused.

"Well I want my house to be made of straw! So there!" Boomer said, stumping his foot, and running away.

Stupid brothers, thinking they're better! He'll show them! He'll build a house made of straw that would not only give him a home, but protect him from the big bad wolf.

He went to the fields and gathered as much straw as he could. He used that to build a straw house.

He stepped back, proud of what he's done. It looked really nice, and looked pretty comfortable. He entered. It was even better.

He heard a growl. It was a wolf. He hurriedly locked the door.

"Hey Boomer!" a feminine voice called out. "Open the door."

The blond ruff looked out the window, and there was a girl who looked like a wolf, with orange hair, pink eyes, and a big red bow on her head.

"Who are you?"

"I am Blossom the Big Bad Wolf! And I am a Powerpuff! Now open your door!"

"I will not!"

"Little ruff, little ruff, let me come in."

"No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin."

"Then I'll huff, and I'll power puff, and I'll blow your house in."

"Nah, nah, you can't get in!" the blond ruff replied as he looked at the puff wolf outside.

She drew a deep breath, and blew hard.

The straw house began to shake. And then it collapsed, to his horror.

"My house! You destroyed it!" he cried.

"And that's not all that I am going to do! I am gonna take you and put you in that light! And you won't ever escape!" she said, laughing evilly.

Boomer screamed before getting on his feet and running as fast as he could. He saw his brother's wooden house.

"Let me in! Let me in! Or she's gonna get me!" he shouted as he pounded on the door. The door suddenly opened and he fell in.

"What's up, bro?" Butch said, his green eyes looking at him in amusement.

"Blossom! Blossom's coming!"

"Whoa! Calm down, dude! Who's Blossom?"

"She's the big bad wolf! She huffed, and power puffed, and blew my house down!"

"What? She blew ya house and it went down?"

"Yeah!"

He laughed. "I hate to say it, but I TOLD YOU SO! Straw is useless! Wood is the best!"

He heard a voice that filled him with dread. "Oh little ruff! Boomer! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

"It's her! It's the big bad wolf Blossom!" he shouted, slamming the door of Butch's house before locking it down.

"Oh there you are! And it looks like you led me to another ruff! Now come out and we can go to the light where the Professor could kill you like the evil little boys that you are!" they heard Blossom shout.

"Make us!" Butch shouted. "And unlike Boom's house here, my home is way tougher! It's made of wood!"

"Oh really? Then I'll just have to do it!"

"Do what?" asked Butch, with a frantic Boomer at his side.

"One more chance. Little ruffs, little ruffs, let me come in."

"No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin," Boomer shouted back.

Butch hit his brothers' head.

"Ow! What gives?"

"That's stupid!"

Blossom shouted. "Then I'll huff, and I'll power puff, and I'll blow your house down."

Boomer dreaded what will happen next. They heard a loud breathing-in by the wolf girl puff thing outside, then there was a loud wind, and the next thing they knew, the house of wood collapsed.

"I told you I'm gonna blow your house down! The force of the wind from the mouth has a greater pressure than the strength of your rickety houses," Blossom explained, her pink eyes bearing down on the two ruffs.

They screamed and ran deeper into the forest, until they reached the brick house of their eldest brother, Brick.

"Let us in! Let us in!" both shouted until the door opened. Both hurried in and locked the door behind them.

"What has got into both of you?" Brick demanded.

"She's coming!" Butch replied, rather frantically.

"Who?"

"The big bad wolf!" Boomer said. "She blew both our houses down!"

"Well, I hate to say it, but—"

"Don't start!" Butch interrupted. "Yeah, you told us so! Now shut up!"

Brick just grinned.

"Open the door, you stupid ruffs!" big bad Blossom shouted.

"No, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin," Brick, this time, shouted the same words, which made Boomer nearly giggle.

Butch dare not hit his leader.

"Then I'll huff, and I'll power puff, and I'll blow your house down."

They could see through the window that she took a deep breath, and suddenly blew.

The house remained standing.

"My house is made of brick!" the eldest ruff shouted. "Like me! So you can't do anything about it!"

"We'll see about that!" she said, they saw her climb the house, and they heard her footsteps on the roof.

"She's going through the chimney!" Boomer said in panic.

However, Brick was, coincidentally, boiling a pot of water on the fireplace. Boomer got the lid, and slammed the pot shut just as Blossom fell on the boiling water.

"Boomer, wake up!" he saw his leader's red eyes staring at him.

Boomer opened his eyes, and they were in the library.

It was all a dream.

But it was so real! And so fun!

"Wake up, Boom. Look at the window," he pointed.

Boomer looked, and he could see that the sky was red.

"What? Is it sunset already?"

"It's sunrise, idiot!" Butch said as Brick smacked him for saying something stupid. "Let's go. We don't want to be caught."

Boomer just nodded as he pulled himself from the soft, warm couch. They flew out of the building the same way they came in, Brick locking the terrace to ensure that no one would find out that they were there.

Boomer wanted to go back. So many stories were just waiting to be read!

He looked at the direction of the sea. He could see the sun, rising.

He had never seen a sunrise before.

Neither did his brothers.

All three stared in wonder as the sun slowly rose above the waters.

 _It was awesome!_

But he was sleepy. Too sleepy. He gazed at the sun as he flew toward their shack.

He went to the mattress. It was harder than he remembered. He wished he was back at the soft couch of the library. He closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

* * *

 _ **13\. What Did We Learn?**_

 _The next day, August 14, 2004, Saturday…_

It was afternoon, and they just had lunch. They had cooked wild boar, or as his Boomer's big brother Brick called it, pork.

Boomer himself wondered why there weren't having fun outside, beating up people, stealing, making trouble. Both him and Butch were sitting on chairs with Brick standing in front of them.

"Now, let's begin. Did you enjoy the library?"

"Oh yeah! That couch! It was so soft! I want to sleep there again!" Boomer replied.

"Yeah! The couch was the best! We should steal one!" Butch agreed.

"Yes. The couch was great," Brick said. "So what else?"

"Um, I like the stories! They're really fun!" Boomer said.

"And the comics! That was the best! So much violence!" Butch, twitching, added.

"So, want to go back there?" asked the leader.

"Would we! Yes! We should move there!" the blond ruff answered.

"Yup. Double yup! The couch alone is worth it!" the black haired ruff agreed.

"Yeah. So let's see if you learned anything. Let's start with words. Let's start with you, Boomer. Tell me, what new words did you learn last night?"

"Um, let's see," Boomer began, wracking his brain for anything that he learned. "Cast Lee."

"Cast Lee?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Spell it."

"C-A-S-T-L-E."

"What does it mean?"

"A Cast Lee is the place where a king lives!"

Brick took a book from pocket. Boomer looked at it and read the title.

 _English Pocket Dictionary_.

"Where did you get that?" asked Boomer.

"I stole it from some schmuck who was reading it while walking," Brick snapped. "Oh yeah. Cast Lee. Spelling is correct. And yeah, definition is close enough. Okay. Another new word."

"Prince. P-R-I-N-C-E. It means a son of a king."

Brick looked at the dictionary. "Very good, Boom. One more, and we'll go to Butch."

"Big Bad Wolf. B-I-G-B-A-D-W-O-L-F! That's what those Powerpuff Girls are! Big bad mean wolves!"

Boomer was proud by what he said, but the look on his brothers indicate that maybe he was wrong. Well, the Powerpuff Girls were wolves. His dream told him so. And the girls did treat him and his brothers like the wolf treated the three little pigs!

"I agree with that, Boom, those girls are bad wolves," Brick grinned.

"Yeah! Wolves!" Butch agreed.

"Okay, Butch. Give me a new word."

"Cave. C-A-V-E. That's where Batman lives."

Brick blinked. "Come again?"

"That's where Bruce Wayne, who in reality is Batman, lives! Duh!" Butch declared as a matter-of-factly.

"Idiot! It means a hollow in the earth, especially one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain!" Brick said, reading the dictionary, before hitting Butch in the head.

"Hey, what's that for?"

"For being an idiot and not using the dictionary like I told you so back in the library! Okay. Give me another word."

"Cape. C-A-P-E. It's the cool red blanket that Superman wears on his neck and looks so cool when he flies!"

Brick looked at his book. "Spelling's correct. And definition's close enough I guess. Okay, one last word."

"Invulnebity. I-N-V-O-L-N-E-R-A-T-Y. It means you cannot be hurt."

Brick searched for the word. "Well, you got the meaning right, but it's called invulnerability, and you got the spelling wrong."

"Well, this sucks!" Butch pouted.

"Too bad. I'm leader, and what I say, goes!" Brick snapped.

"Yeah, I know. We'll follow you, right or wrong," Butch replied. "Doesn't mean I'd have to like it or I can't complain."

"Glad you know," Brick snapped. "Still, want to know something?"

"What is it?" Boomer asked.

"Want to know what a Powderpuff is?"

Even Butch had to raise his eyebrow. "Oh do tell."

Brick turned the page of his dictionary. "Powderpuff. A small, round piece of soft material that is used to put powder on your face or body."

The three boys looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

* * *

After that, they three told each other what they read. Brick gave a lecture on what he'd read, and Boomer was mostly bored. He listened, and got most of it, but he was not that interested.

The favorite part of the blue ruff was the story section, specifically the Fairy Tales.

Butch told them about the comics. He story of Superman and Batman. Boomer enjoyed how Butch told the tales, and he could see that Brick was interested too.

"And don't you know that this Superman fellow has almost the same powers we have?"

"Oh really?" asked Brick.

"Yeah. He can fly. He is very strong! And you know the cool thing about it?"

"What?" asked Boomer, entranced by the tale of his middle brother.

"I found out what our attacks are called!"

Brick raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah. The light that came out from our eyes that hurt and win our fights? That's called laser. We have laser eyes. Or you can call it eyebeams! Or heat vision."

"That's cool," Boomer praised.

"And he has a bunch of powers that we don't have yet. He has x-ray vision! It's so cool! You can look beyond walls! He can turn coal into diamonds!"

"X-ray vision," Brick repeated, deep in thought. "Sounds cool. So how does the power work?"

"Well, you look at a wall, and you see what's beyond it," Butch explained. "That's how Superman did it."

The green ruff looked at the wall of their shack. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly smiled.

"I got it! I got it!" Butch exclaimed.

"You do?" asked Brick in astonishment.

"Yeah. I could see the trees! And the animals! It's neat! You should try it!"

Boomer looked at the wall, and concentrated.

"Yeah I got it!" Brick said. "How about you, Boomer?"

"How do you do it?" asked the blond ruff.

"Idiot! Use your eyes. There's a switch that could turn it on."

The blue eyed brother nodded and concentrated. He tried all sorts of things with his eyes when suddenly, he got it. He found the switch. He saw the trees, and the animals. A big grinned formed in the boy's face.

"That is so nice!" Boomer shouted, jumping up and down in happiness.

"This x-ray vision thing really would be handy," said Brick, looking around the house, but Boomer could tell that he had his x-ray on and was looking at the forest. "Especially if you want to steal things without being discovered."

The boys spent the next hour or so experimenting with their new power. They flew above the forest around the shack. Boomer was delighted when he could see the animals run around on the forest floor despite being covered by the leaves of the trees. Then he adjusted his vision, and he could see, though in black and white, some of the things buried underground.

He then flew over the lake, and he found out that he could, by adjusting his eyes, see the fish and other creatures of the lake, all the way to the bottom of the body of water. He was able to see many sunk boats, and many garbage that had settled on the lake floor.

He looked at his brothers, and he was sure that they were doing the same.

After an hour, they returned to the shack. "Okay, that was fun! So, any other powers you might have found, Butch?"

"Superman can turn coal into diamonds," Butch explained.

"That's useless," Brick replied. "Who wants bling? What else?"

"Superhearing! I read that Superman could really hear things that we can't hear. Let's try it."

So the three boys did so. Boomer concentrated on turning something on his ear, and was pleasantly surprised when he found it. He turned it on, and suddenly, he was able to hear the sounds of animals running outside. He practiced for the next few hours, and learned how to direct the direction of the superhearing like a microphone, and how to adjust it so it could turn the volume of the sound up or down.

* * *

 _ **14\. The Duke of Destruction**_

That evening…

Boomer scanned the books in the _Stories For Children_ section. He got a book that seemed interesting— _The Ghosts of Townsville Library_.

He read it. After reading it, he looked around fearfully, and went to his brother, who was reading a science book.

"Brick, I think we better leave," he whispered.

His red eyed brother looked at him unbelievingly. "Why should we?"

"This place… this place is… _haunted_."

"What?"

"There are ghosts that haunt this place. They protect the books from being stolen at night," Boomer said.

"Are you out of your mind?" the leader asked.

"Look at this," Boomer said, shoving the book to Brick. "This tells the story!"

Brick looked the book.

"Yes. The story."

"See? There are ghosts! They would do bad things if we don't leave!"

"As I said. A story. Not news. Or history. But story. It's just as real as the _Three_ _Little_ _Pigs_ or _Snow_ _White_. There are no such things as ghosts!"

"But—"

"I don't care! Just read something else! We aren't leaving! Unless you want to go to school to learn!"

That scared Boomer way more than the idea of ghosts ever did.

"I don't wanna go to school."

"So choose. Ghosts, or school!"

"Ghosts!"

"Then go back to your reading!" Brick growled, irritated at being interrupted. "We're Rowdyruffs! A measly ghost shouldn't scare us!"

Boomer nodded, but was unsure. He looked around, and the place seemed much scarier than before. He imagined that there were ghosts hiding behind every corner and bookshelf. But they weren't stealing books, were they? So the ghosts won't have reason to haunt them, or worse, hurt them. The book never stated that the ghosts never do anything other than scare the intruders, but Boomer's sure that the ghosts could actually hurt those that won't leave after being warned.

Hoping that the ghosts won't haunt them, Boomer put the book back on the shelf and got another one.

 _Scooby Doo_.

He enjoyed the story. At first Boomer thought the ghost was real. Then he found out that it was fake. And it was all a lie.

So he began to think. What if, like in _Scooby Doo,_ the ghosts of the library were not real? But it had gotta be real! The book said so! He hasn't seen them, but so what? They haven't done anything that might make the ghost mad. After all, they weren't stealing books, right?

He shook his head. Perhaps there _was_ a ghost. Perhaps there was _none._ He still thought there was one. But he decided he won't think about it until the ghosts actually showed themselves. And the ghosts won't show themselves until they try to steal books.

He got another book. _Puss in Boots._ Then _The Industrious Hen._ Then _Dick Whittington and His Cat_.

It was nearly ten when Brick called a halt to all the reading, and told them that they should get some sleep. Once again, Boomer settled on the soft, comfortable couch. He closed his eyes, and he was fast asleep.

He opened his eyes. He looked around. He was in a forest. He was wearing rags. And the only companion was a cat.

A cat with red hair.

With red eyes?

"Boomer, want to get rich?" the cat, with Brick's voice, said.

"Huh? A talking cat?"

"Well duh! I'm a cat, and I talk. Name's Brick, and Master, I am here to make you rich! If you would give me your boots!"

Boomer smiled at Brick, even if a cat, calling him master. So he removed his boots, and gave it to the cat.

"The first thing we have to do is to catch a rabbit!" he declared, getting a sack. He was able to make a trap using a sack, and caught a big fat rabbit.

"That's great! Our breakfast would be—" Boomer spoke.

"Master! This isn't for us!" Brick said. "Trust me. Wait for me here, and do what I say!"

Boomer nodded as he watched the red cat disappear with the sack of rabbit.

* * *

…

Brick went to the castle where the King resides. "I demand the see the King!"

Luckily, the sight of a talking cat was so unusual that the guards brought him to the court.

"King John XI the Professor of the Utonium Dynasty, I am your humble servant," Brick said, taking off his hat, and bowing to the king.

"A talking cat?" the black haired king exclaimed upon seeing Brick. "That's scientifically impossible!"

"That I am. I am here to give you a gift from my master!" he announced, before getting the dead rabbit from the sack.

"Wow! That's the fattest rabbit I've ever laid my eyes on!" King John the Professor exclaimed upon seeing the rabbit. "My thanks to your master. By the way, what's the name of your master?"

"My master's name is Boomer, the Duke."

"Duke of what?" asked the king.

"He's the Duke of Destruction! Inherited his title from a long line of Dukes! The name is from the first duke, who destroyed the enemies of your ancestors, King John the First!"

"And I am King John XI, of the Utonium Dynasty! Tell him that me and my daughter, Princess Bubbles, would like to visit his estate and castle!"

"I am sure he will be most delighted!" the cat said before he left.

* * *

…

"What? You told the king that I am a duke? But I'm poor! I own my clothes, and you, and nothing more," Boomer protested when he heard the tale.

"Do as I say, master, and you will be the next king!" the cat replied. "You will rule this kingdom, and you will marry the Princess!"

* * *

The next day, Brick brought the blue eyed peasant near a stream besides a road.

"Master, take off your clothes, and go for a dip in the stream?"

"What? Why?"

"Just do as I say!" the cat ordered.

"But the stream is cold!"

"Do it, I order you to!"

"I am your master you can't—"

"DO IT, OR I'LL STRIP YOU MYSELF!" the cat shouted, his red eyes showing his temper.

Frightened, Boomer did as asked, and stripped naked, and took a dip on the stream.

Brick smiled, and hid Boomer's clothes.

"Brick, I-I-I-I-I-I'm feelin' cold!" Boomer said as he shivered.

Brick ignored him as he looked at the open carriage with the king and his daughter. It was going past them.

The red eyed cat jumped in front the vehicle.

"Your Majesty, I am so unfortunate!" the cat shouted.

The king stood up. "Brick, what on earth has happened?"

"My Master the Duke of Destruction was taking a dip on the stream, when we were attacked by robbers! Everything, the horse, the carriage, even the very clothes he was wearing was stolen!"

"That is unfortunate," King John said. "Is that the duke?" he asked, looking at the blond man shivering, naked, his head only visible, in the river.

"He is. He cannot leave because he has nothing to wear."

"Daddy, you've got to help him! Poor boy," Princess Bubbles, with golden hair in pigtails, and big blue eyes, sitting opposite the king, pleaded. "He looked so cold!"

The king agreed, and ordered some of his guards to rush back to the castle and take some clothes. They returned, and helped Boomer change into rich clothes, fit for a duke. They led him to the carriage.

Boomer was awed at seeing the king. He looked at Bubbles, and he blushed.

He bowed. "Y-y-y-y-your Majesty!"

"Your Grace," the king greeted, "could you please ride with us to your castle?"

"Castle?"

"Yes. Brick said that you have a big castle. We're on our way to visit, to thank you for bringing us that delicious rabbit!" John the Professor said. "And this is Princess Bubbles!"

Boomer blushed as he bowed. "Y-y-y-y-your highness!"

"Ah, love at first sight! If your wealth and lands is even as great as Brick said it is, then Bubbles, I think he is worthy of marrying you, Bubbles!"

"Oh Daddy!" the girl blushed at she looked at Boomer, who also blushed.

* * *

…

Brick in the meantime, took a horse to the lands of an ogre. He saw peasants on the field.

"Tell me, peasants! Who owns this land?"

"Hey, this peasant has a name!"

Brick rolled his eyes. "So what's your name?"

"Butch!" the green eyed black haired boy said as he collected the wheat. "And for your information, the land is owned by the ogre."

"Ogre?"

"Don't tell me you don't know her? She's the master of this land! She can change to any form!"

"Even a talking cat?"

"Even a talking—you're the ogre? Sorry, Mistress! I didn't know it was you!" Butch said, kneeling on the ground.

"Well, I'm in a good mood. I won't punish you provided you do as I tell you."

"Anything!"

"When the king asks who the lands belong to, tell him that this belongs to Boomer, Duke of Destruction!"

"Whatever!" he mumbled.

With that, Brick rode on to the castle. He entered, but he was confronted by the ogre. It was a giant girl, with black hair, green eyes, and wearing a green dress.

"You are the famous ogre?" Brick asked.

"Yeah. Name's Buttercup. For being so stupid, I'm gonna kill you and skin you alive, you mangy cat!"

"Wait, before I die, I want to see your powers. I heard you can change into any animal you like!"

"Well, I can," said Buttercup. "What do you want me to change to? I know!"

She changed into a golden lion. The lion pounced on the hapless cat.

"Say your prayers!"

"I will. That's very very good! But before I die, I want a request."

"What?

"You could change into a big lion, and it's all so impressive. But I bet you could not change into something small, say a mouse?"

"You think I can't change into a mouse? That's easy!" she boasted. She changed back into an ogre, then turned into a mouse.

"See? Ain't I awesome!" Buttercup, as a mouse, boasted.

"Stupid too," Brick the cat said as he pounced on the mouse and ate her.

…

* * *

Boomer could only think about how he's gonna be dead. The king and the princess would find out he was not a duke, and they would have his head. He looked at the king besides him, who kept talking, and the Princess across him. Bubbles seemed to be friendly, nice, and pretty, and he was looking at her in a nice way that was somehow cute and scary at the same time. But what would happen when she finds out he was just a poor peasant? He would be strung up and put into a light that would trap him forever!

The carriage stopped. Boomer looked at a black haired peasant doing some work.

"Hey, peasant! To whom do these lands belong to?" asked King John.

"This belongs to my lord and master, Boomer, Duke of Destruction!"

Boomer could not believe his ears.

"This belongs to His Grace? Thank you!" said the king.

"Yes."

"Wow! Your land is pretty, your grace!" the Princess Bubbles cooed at the boy, who blushed at the attention.

Boomer blushed. What could he do but lie some more? "Uh, thanks, your highness."

"Let's go to your castle."

He was silent.

He was dead.

He had no castle.

Then again, he had no lands, and the peasants seemed to think he was the owner.

They reached the castle, and they were greeted by Brick.

"Your Majesty, welcome to Boomer's castle!"

"Wow! Look at that castle!" the king said in awe. "Bubbles, you are going to marry the Duke here. I hope you like it, Your Grace! You're gonna be the next king!"

"I'm g-g-g-g-g-onna marry Bubbles?" Boomer stammered on the carriage.

"Thank you Dad!" Bubbles said, hugging the boy, giving him a peck on the cheek, causing him to faint.

…

* * *

He opened his eyes. He was back in the library.

It was a dream.

That was a strange dream. Bubbles? Marry him? He got the dictionary and searched for the word _marry_. He laughed when he found out what it meant. That was ridiculous! They were enemies! She hated him! Why else would she steal his clothes and pretend to be him? And he _hated_ her.

He yawned when he saw light on the window. He knew it was time to go back to the shack. But he really did not want to go back and lie on the hard mattress. Still, Brick was waking up. He knew they had to leave before the library opened for the day.

As they flew back to their shack, Boomer realized something.

They were poor. Dirt poor. Just like the cat's master in _Puss In Boots._ But it's okay. They were more powerful and stronger than the richest guys ever, and he had faith.

Faith in his leader.

Faith that Brick would make them all rich one day, just like that cat in the story and in his dream.

* * *

 _ **15\. The Ghosts**_

 _Six days later, August 20, 2004, Friday…_

The Rowdyruff boys had been visiting the library every evening. They enjoyed the place. Brick had been reading a wide variety of books, mostly informative, and his knowledge was vastly expanded. Butch fell in love with the huge catalogue of superhero comics stored, the oldest ones dated in the 1930s, while Boomer cannot have enough of reading fairy tales and children's stories.

They always only read for about three or four hours, then they would go to sleep at about 10 in the evening in the soft sofas. Probably sleeping in the soft chair was the favorite part of the adventure that Boomer and Butch most liked. It was way better than the hard mattresses that they had to put up with in Fuzzy's shack.

For Boomer, he was still wary about the Ghosts of Townsville Library. He still believed that they were there to protect the books from being stolen. But he figured that since the three had no intention of stealing the books, the ghosts left them alone.

Until they heard some footsteps.

The three boys froze, and Brick quietly ordered the three to put back to the shelves whatever they were reading. He closed the lights, and the three floated near the ceiling.

It was a security guard with a flashlight and a walkie-talkie. He walked around, and inspected the place where they had been.

"Joe, over. Nothing's here."

"Are you sure, Matt?" asked Joe on the walkie-talkie.

"I'm sure. But there's somebody here. I saw the lights being switched off," Matt the security guard replied.

"Yeah. Someone's been sneaking in and out of this library during the evening for the past week," Joe replied. "The lights had been on during the night without anybody coming in."

"There's no sign of breaking and entering. Could it be that the ghosts of Townsville library are back?" Matt asked.

"The ghosts? That means someone's trying to steal books in the library," Joe replied. "But why now? They haven't been seen for the last thirty years."

"Well, whatever it was that was using the light, it's gone now," Matt said, looking at the place in the library. The superstitious guard looked at the dark place, and shouted, "GHOSTS OF TOWNSVILLE LIBRARY! I'm here to guard the books! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

With that, he went back to the entrance.

The boys floated down to the floor. "So the guards believe that we're ghosts," Brick remarked.

"See I told you there are ghosts here!" Boomer smugly reminded.

"This town is so dumb! They interrupted my reading of the _Incredible Hulk_!" Butch whined.

"So we have a problem. If we open the lights, people will get snoopy and will go and check. But if we don't open the lights, how can we read? We won't learn anything in the dark, you know," Brick remarked.

"Maybe we can scare them, like what the fake ghosts did in _Scooby Doo_?" Boomer suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Brick asked.

"Yeah. That sounded stupid," Butch remarked.

Boomer went to the shelf, and got a _Scooby Doo_ book. "Read this! It's about bad people dressing up as ghosts and scaring all those who might snoop."

Brick got the book, took his flashlight, read it, his eyes widening. He closed it. "We're the bad guys, right? And they think there are ghosts 'round here. Why not give them something to really be scared about?"

"What are you talking about?" Butch asked.

"Boom, get me that book on the ghosts of the library?" Brick ordered.

Boomer was only too happy to comply. Finally, his big brother believed him! And he finally had a good idea! He showed him the book. "So that's what the ghosts look like," said Brick. "They looked like white floating sheets. There are three of them. You think that ghosts won't mind us pretending to be them?"

"As long as we won't try and steal any books, I'm sure the ghosts will be okay with it!" Boomer replied.

"Wait here," said the red eyed leader. He left, and came back a minute later, carrying white sheets.

"What's that?" asked Boomer.

"I found this in the janitor's closet."

* * *

…

 _The next day, Augusts 21, 2004, Saturday…_

The boys were back in the library, reading their favorite books. But their superhearing was on, listening, listening to any sounds that would indicate someone approaching.

Then they heard it. The sound of a key being put in the keyhole, the sound of the door being opened, and the sound of footsteps entering.

"Looks like the ghosts are back," they heard the same guard, Matt, say. "Lights are on, as expected."

Brick gave an evil smirk. "Time for some fun, boys!" He got his sheet, and put it over him. "Remember what we planned. Eyes should glow, and we should always float, got it? And change your voice. They mustn't know it's us or they'll all be crying for those Powderpuffs. And make it scary, okay?"

"Got it!" Boomer said as he put the sheet over him, and adjusted it so that the eyeholes were in the right place.

"It would be better if we could have violence," Butch whined.

"Yeah, but not this time," Brick said. "We'll be discovered if we try to be violent."

Butch just kept quiet as he adjusted the sheets.

"Ready, boys?"

Butch and Boomer nodded as the footsteps approached. Their eyes glowed, in preparation for their supposed use of the eyebeams, but this time, with no intention of discharging any energy.

Brick changed his voice to a high pitch as the guard, Matt, entered into view.

" _Whooooooo areeeeeee youuuuuuu? Whhhhhhhy doooooo youuuuu disturbbbbbb ussssss?"_

The guard looked, wide-eyed at the three "ghosts" and dropped his knees, shaking in fright.

"I am M-m-m-m-matt Stewawwwart. Are you the g-g-g-g-ghosts of Townsville Library?"

 _"Yyyyyyyes wwwwwwwe areeeeeeee! Weeeeee areeeeee readdddddddding! Nnnnnnow beeeeeeeee ggggggggggone! Anddddddd doooooooo notttttttttt disturbbbbbbbbb ourrrrrrrrr reaaaaaaaading!"_

" _Leeeeeeeaveeeeee Nowwwwww!"_ Boomer commanded.

" _Boooooooooooo_!" Butch said as he approached the guard.

Matt ran screaming from the place. The boys chased him through the library, and harried him until he went to the front door, and left the place.

"That was fun," Boomer said, snickering.

"C'mon boys. Let's go back to reading," Brick commanded as he closed the front door, and locked it.

* * *

 _ **16\. Bubbles' Curiosity**_

 _The next day, August 22, 2004, Sunday…_

 _Breaking News!_

"This is Stanley Whitfield.

"The Ghosts of Townsville Library were actually seen! The guard at the library, Matt Stewart reportedly saw the three ghosts.

"So Mr Stewart, could you tell our viewers what you saw?"

"I saw them! Just like in the books! Three floating figures in white, with glowing eyes!"

"When and how did you see it?"

"Well, for about a week now, we observed that the lights on the library were on after it was closed. At first, we thought that we merely forgot to put it off. Then after a few nights of it being on, we thought there were some thieves, while some of us thought it was the Ghosts of Townsville Library. So I checked. Then I saw them. Three of them. Their eyes were glowing, just like in the legends. They were white, and floating! And they were reading! They said that they don't want to be interrupted!"

"Thank you, Mr Stewart," Stanley Whitfield said.

Bubbles Utonium felt happy as she watched the news. She was right! Blossom and Buttercup were the ones mistaken about the Ghosts of Townsville Library.

"See I told you so!" the blue eyed puff said to her two sisters sitting on either side of her as they watched the television. "There is such a thing as the Ghosts of Townsville Library!"

"I'm sure that fella just had a bad dream," Buttercup scoffed. "And people of this town are just gullible enough to believe it! Bubbles, that tale of Matt is baloney!"

"It does check out," Blossom said, holding her book on _Myths and Legends of Townsville_.

"What does that book say about it anyway?"

"Well Townsville Library is a Carnegie Library, meaning that it was established with funds from Andrew Carnegie."

"Who's Andrew Carnegie?" Bubbles asked.

"He's a wealthy man who sold steel. He gave away his money building thousands of libraries, and this one in Townsville is one of them. It was built in 1903."

"Enough with the history lesson. When did the ghosts start appearing?" Buttercup asked

"The legend started during the Great Depression, in the year 1931. Nobody knew why they started appearing. They just did. Three ghosts, white, without any form except that they looked like they were covered with white sheets, they floated, and their eyes glowed. It was said that they were there to protect the books from being stolen, and they sometimes read the books themselves during the night."

"See, I told you so!" Bubbles interrupted. She felt vindicated. Her belief that there was a ghost was really the correct view.

Unfortunately, her big sister just could not admit being wrong.

"I'm not yet finished. Others say it was just made up to discourage thieves from stealing the books. The library had some expensive and rare books during the Depression, and the police caught several thieves trying to do just that. The library employees all claimed that the ghosts scared the thieves into the arms of the police."

"Yeah, but what about the tale of the ghosts reading books at night? Why would they make that up?" Bubbles challenged.

"They say that they merely made it up to cover up the fact that some employees would remain in the library and read into the night. It would explain the open lights when the library was supposed to be closed at five p.m. and only open at 8:00 a.m."

"There, you see? Those ghosts really don't exist!" Buttercup asserted. "Just read Blossom's book."

"Well, I still think it was a ghost!" the blonde puff said, digging in. "What did Mr Stewart see then? He's not lying. I could see it!"

"No. He obviously believes the legend even before today," Blossom opined. "So he probably dreamt the whole thing up, and the dream was so real, he really believed he actually saw them. Or he would admit falling asleep on his job!"

"Or the ghosts are real!" the blue eyed puff insisted.

" _Occam's Razor_!" Blossom retorted. "That tells us that Mr Stewart was just _dreaming._ After all, he's the only who actually _saw_ the ghosts, right?"

Bubbles pouted. Her big sister was again being too logical to see the truth right before her eyes. An idea suddenly came to her.

"We should go to the library, and meet the ghosts," she suggested.

"What? We're not going there just to see a non-existent ghost!" Buttercup objected.

"The do exist! We should see them! Maybe we can make _friends_ with the ghosts?"

"For the last time, those ghosts don't exist," Blossom asserted. "Besides, it would be way past our bed time if we go to the library at the hours they were seen."

Before any of the girls could continue their argument, they heard the Professor call. It was time for dinner.

* * *

…

The next day, August 23, Monday…

Bubbles flew with Buttercup to accompany their big sister Blossom return her book. Before, they would not bother escorting Blossom, but after their leader's ambush, they decided not to take any chances.

The youngest puff had her own reason of going with Blossom. She was excited. She wanted to ask questions to Mr. Stewart, or Mr. Hendrix, or Mrs. Cartwright about the ghosts. Perhaps they could shed some light about it, something that Blossom's book could not have answered.

Bubbles just hoped that the ghosts won't be too disappointed with her sisters for not believing in them. But she was sure that the ghosts were nice. After all, they were there to protect the books from being stolen, and they just want to read in peace!

They arrived, and Blossom handed the book to Mrs. Cartwright, who stamped the book.

While that was happening, she looked around and saw Mr Stewart making his rounds as a guard.

"Hello Mr Stewart. I'm Bubbles!"

"I know you. You're the cutest and prettiest puff, who can be very tough too!"

"Thank you, though Buttercup is the toughest," Bubbles modestly replied. "Could I ask you a question, Mister?"

"Ask away!"

"Um, could you tell me about the ghost?"

"Well, the ghosts are white, they floated, their eyes glowed, and they're really scary looking," he said.

"Where did you see them?"

"On the elementary section, I think."

"Did they say anything else?"

"No, that was it!" he said. "I was too scared to ask anything else. After all, believing in them was one thing. To a _ctually see them_ is another ball game."

"Oh, thank you sir. I hope we can see the ghosts."

"Take it from me. You _do not_ want to see them again if you've seen them once," the guard advised as Blossom called her.

"Well, Blossom's calling, so I gotta go. Bye!" she said, waving, before leaving and joining both her sisters.

Blossom was holding a book in one hand and her library card in the other. Buttercup had her hands folded in front of her, a slight frown on her face.

"Girls! I talked with Mr. Stewart. He didn't fall asleep! He really saw the ghosts!" Bubbles whispered as Blossom gave the book and her card to Mrs Cartwright so she can stamp it and check it out.

* * *

…

"Of course he'll say he really saw them," Blossom said when they were flying home.

"Yeah, Bubbles! What did you expect? That he'll tell you that he lied to the world about seeing the ghosts, and that he really fell asleep?" Buttercup affirmed.

"Well, he's not lying! I talked to him, and he doesn't look like he's hiding something!" Bubbles insisted.

* * *

 _ **17**_ **.** _ **Powerpuff Intervention**_

…

Later that night…

 _Breaking News._

"This is Stanley Whitfield. Another witness saw the Ghosts of Townsville Library. Last night, Peter Flores, the guard assigned during the night, saw them."

"It was scary! I was there! I was making my usual rounds! And there they were! Three, white, floating, with glowing eyes, reading books, and ordering me to leave and warning me never to disturb them while they were reading," he narrated frantically.

"See, I told you the ghosts were real!" Bubbles asserted. "The TV never lies!"

"Are you kidding me?" asked Buttercup, looking at Bubbles.

"Bubbles, Bubbles! You shouldn't believe everything you hear on TV!" Blossom lectured.

"Are you telling me that Mr Flores was lying?"

"Maybe. Or perhaps he was mistaken! What I'm telling you is that there are no ghosts!" Blossom insisted.

Bubbles could not believe the stubbornness of her sister. She was about to reply when the phone rang. The Professor ran from the kitchen to the living room and answered it.

"Hello. Oh hi Mr Clarence! No, no, I'm fine. Well, yeah, I've heard about it. Who hasn't? What, you want the girls to? Well, as long as they're home before it's past their bedtime. Okay, I'll ask them."

"Well Professor?" Blossom asked.

"Yeah Professor," Bubbles concurred. She could have used her superhearing, but the girls knew better than to intrude on a private call.

"Well, it was Mr Henry Clarence. He's the manager of the Library. You know he's worried about the reports of the Ghosts," the Professor began.

"The ghosts? See, there are ghosts!" Bubbles asserted, sticking out her tongue at both her sisters.

"As I was saying, the reports of the ghosts are scaring library patrons," the Professor continued. "So he asked me if you could investigate the ghosts."

"Yes! We'll go Professor!" Bubbles said, flying up to him and giving him a hug. "We would love to go and meet the ghosts."

"Bubbles! We haven't made a decision on that yet," Blossom chided. "Though I am curious about this… phenomena."

"Let's go! I can't wait to show our crybaby here that there are no such things as ghosts!" Buttercup declared.

"That is a good idea. We can settle once and for all who's right about the ghosts," Blossom agreed. "We'll go, Professor."

"Okay. But since you're going at night, here are some ground rules that you must follow."

The three girls listened intently.

"First. Bed time. You must be home before your usual bedtime, okay? I'm pretty sure that all the times the ghosts had been sighted had been before your bedtime, so if there are ghosts, you would find them before bedtime, okay?"

"Okay Professor," Blossom agreed.

"Second. You must stay in the library until it's time to go home. Do not go somewhere you shouldn't go, okay?"

"Yes Professor. We will just stay there," Bubbles said.

"Third. Do not stay there past your bed time. Now, since it's summer, I'm going to be lenient, and allow you stay until ten in the evening. But at ten p.m., I don't care if you're gonna save the world, unless you're trapped or tied up so you can't escape, you have to go home at ten, okay? Or you three would be grounded."

"Okay Professor, we'll do. What if we're in the middle kicking the butt of the ghost when the clock strikes ten?"

"NO EXCEPTIONS!" Professor Utonium snapped. "If you want, you'll start tomorrow evening at seven. You'll have three hours to try and solve this mystery."

"Yeah, the mystery of why the ghosts came back! I can't wait to talk to them!" Bubbles squealed.

"Or the mystery of what made those guards hallucinate or lie," Buttercup rejoined.

"Professor, could we read the books in the library while we're waiting for something to happen?" Blossom asked.

"I suppose you could. But you have to get permission from the librarian for that," the father stated.

"Thanks. Because if my hunch is right, it would be a very dull night, and we might as well read some books to pass the time," Blossom said. It was clear she was anticipating reading the library books, instead of actually solving the mystery.

"Ugh! This would be a very boring night!" Buttercup stated.

"No, it won't be! We're gonna meet the ghosts! Isn't that exciting?" Bubbles replied.

"And we'll get to read the books! That is something to look forward to!" Blossom agreed.

"And this is why our nights would become very boring!" Buttercup grumbled.

"Now Buttercup, I'm sure you could find some way to amuse yourself if there's nothing to it," the Professor said. "Maybe you can bring your blankie with you."

"Yeah, Blan—" Buttercup almost agreed, but then she looked at both her sisters, ready to snicker, "um, no, I won't bring it."

"Oh Buttercup, you should bring it! If we see the ghosts, you might not be strong enough to fight them if blankie's not there to give you strength!" Blossom teased.

"Shut up, Red!" Buttercup growled.

"Now don't tease Buttercup, Blossom," Professor Utonium admonished. "I'm glad that you're trying to help the library. But there's one thing I want you to always remember."

"What is it, Professor?" Bubbles asked.

"Always stay safe. You might be the most powerful human beings alive, but you never know what or who can have tricks that you may not be ready for," he said, kneeling so he would be eye level to his daughters. "I'm sure the ghost business would prove to be nothing to you, but just be careful, and don't do anything rash, okay?"

"Don't worry Professor. We'll be safe," Bubbles said. "The ghosts are friendly. They won't hurt anyone as long as you're not stealing books. They're just there to read."

"And we're strong and powerful! Nothing can hurt us!" Buttercup declared.

"And I'll make sure nothing goes wrong," Blossom assured. "You need not worry about us, Professor."

…

* * *

 _ **18\. Meeting the Ghosts**_

 _The next day, August 24, 2004, Tuesday…_

Bubbles was excited. She longed to meet the ghosts ever since she heard reports of recent sightings. And now, she would have the chance. So she woke up early that morning, dressed in an extra clean blue dress, and took extra care so she looked prettier than usual. After all, it wasn't every day that she would meet a ghost.

Not only would meeting the ghosts be a great thing in itself, it would also prove her right to her sisters. Her sisters were too skeptical! How was a ghost any less probable or amazing than the Boogie Man, or Him, or even an imaginary monster turned real? Or for that matter, superpowered girls!

The day seemed very long as she literally counted the hours until they would go to the library.

"Seven hours till we meet the ghosts!" she would declare when it was noon.

"We know, we know," Buttercup snapped.

* * *

…

"Four hours more!" Bubbles giggled as the clock struck three p.m.

"Yes, Bubbles, four hours," Blossom sighed besides her.

* * *

…

"Hurry Professor!" she declared as six p.m. neared, trying to encourage her father to cook faster.

"Okay, okay," he laughed as he prepared dinner. "Calm down. The ghosts won't leave if you're a bit late!"

* * *

…

"Okay girls, it's time," the Professor said, looking at the clock. It was seven in the evening. "The sun would set in half an hour. So be careful. I'll be expecting you home at ten, okay?"

The girls nodded. They had already finished their dinner, and were ready to go.

"Bye Professor!" the girls said.

"Bye. See you later!" he replied.

* * *

…

Bubbles could not contain her excitement as they landed just outside the library. Waiting for them was the guard, Mr. Matt Stewart, and a man, about fifty, standing beside him.

"Girls! The Professor called and told me you'd be here," he said, shaking their hands. "I'm Henry Clarence. I'm the manager of the library. I requested your help."

"Hello Mr. Clarence," Blossom greeted. "Don't worry. We'll take care of it."

"So, how do we know when those ghosts have arrived?" Buttercup asked.

"You'll know. The lights will be switched on without any explanation at the elementary and kids section," Matt Stewart explained. "It happens every night, without fail, for the past week or so."

"Thanks. I have a favor to ask. Could we read the library books while we wait for the ghosts to arrive?" Blossom asked.

"Be my guest!" Mr Clarence replied.

Bubbles entered with her sisters. Her heart pounded in anticipation. She was so excited.

"So, what do we do now?" Buttercup asked.

"Well, we wait for something to happen. Then we look. In the meantime, let's read," Blossom began.

Bubbles looked at the place. It was dark and scary. But that was because the lights were off. She looked around for the switch. She was about to ask where it was when a fluorescent lamp in the middle of the place, above some bookshelves, suddenly came on.

"Look!" the blonde puff pointed.

Both her sisters looked at it.

"See, I told you!" the blonde puff asserted.

"Maybe it's a technical malfunction of the lamp," Blossom reasoned.

"Or it's a thief!" Buttercup said. "Let's pound 'em!"

Bubbles hurried to the source of the light.

But they saw nothing at the elementary section. Except a couple of books on the table, and on the sofa.

"Somebody's reading," Blossom said, inspecting the books. Once was titled _Geography for First Graders_ opened at an article about France, specifically, about Paris, another was a story book called _Dick Whittington and His Cat_ , and finally, there was a comic book. _The Flash!_

"Couldn't it be, that someone forgot to put it back?" asked the green puff.

"The staff always puts the books back on the shelves before it closes," said Blossom. "Somebody's been reading."

"See! The ghosts have been reading! The ghosts are the only explanation!" Bubbles asserted.

"Bubbles, there are no such things as ghosts! The staff probably forgot this time," Blossom asserted.

The lights suddenly went out.

"Did you?" Bubbles asked, suddenly gripping Blossom.

"No, I didn't," Blossom replied, clutching Bubbles too, a hint of hear in her voice.

Then suddenly, there was a low cry. It was sinister.

"What's that?" asked Buttercup. "That can't be ghosts!"

Then there was a loud cackle.

The green puff jumped and hugged both her sisters. "They're not real! They're not real!" she kept saying over and over. All her previous bravado was gone.

"Bbbbbbbbig Baaaaddddd Wwwwwwolffffff! Oooooooogre! Pppppprrrrrrincesssssss!" a low voice suddenly was heard. "Whaaaat arrrreee youuuuuuu ddddddddoing hhhhhhheeeere! Ddddddddisturbingggggggg ourrrrrrr readddddddding!"

Blossom clutched her sister tighter, her knees shaking by the voice. "What? Who's the big bad wolf? Ogre? Princess?" Blossom said out loud.

"Theeeeeeeee oneeeeeee wwwwwwwith theeeeeeee redddddddd bowwwwwww's theeeeeeeeee bigggggggg baaaaaaaaaad wwwwwwwwwolffffffffffff!" the voice continued.

"And who's the ogre?" asked Bubbles, still shaking, deathly scared of the strange voice.

"Thheeeeeeee onneeeee withhhhhhhh theeeeeee greeeeeeeen dresssssssss!"

Bubbles smiled despite her fear. "I'm the Princess?"

"Yyyyyyyyyyyyou arreeeeeee, stupiddddddddd!" the strange voice continued.

"Where are you?" Buttercup shouted. "And I'm no ogre!"

Another voice, different from the first one, began to talk. "Buttttterrrrrcupppppp! Weeeeee areeeee theeeeee ghosssssssts of Townsvilleeeeeee librarrrrrrrrrry!"

"Show yourself!" Buttercup shouted, though she was still deathly scared.

"Youuuuuuu areeeeeee notttttttttt worrrrrrthyyyyyy toooooooo seeeeeeee theeeeee ggggggghostssss of Townsvilleeeeeee librarrrrrrryyyyyy!" a third voice, strange too but distinct from the other two, was heard.

"There's three of them!" Blossom whispered as she looked around. The voices seemed everywhere, surrounding them.

"Could we take a look at you?" Bubbles asked. "We're not here to steal books and we don't want to disturb you're reading. And thank you for calling me Princess!"

"Pppppppprincesssssss! Leaveeeeeeeee nowwwwwwww!" the first voice began to say.

Then it happened.

Three figures in white, suddenly appeared in front of them, with no warning at all. They were floating, with glowing red eyes. It was the same vision that she saw in pictures, books, and documentaries about the ghost of Townsville Library. Yet it was way scarier to see it herself than to see it on books.

"BOO!" all three shouted with a very sinister voice.

The three girls screamed and scattered in fright.

* * *

Bubbles went at one end of the library, her heart pounding. This was not how she envisioned meeting with the ghosts. They were way scarier than what she imagined them to be. The glowing eyes! The sinister low voices! The floating white figures! It was like a horror show, but this was real!

But she shouldn't be afraid. She was not stealing books. She remembered the books opened. They were reading! They were disturbing them! She should apologize, and tell them that they were not stealing books. She hoped that they wouldn't be mad at them.

Bubbles was sure that the ghosts would listen to her. After all, they called her a Princess, and her sisters, an ogre, and a big bad wolf! She giggled as she imagined Blossom as a wolf, and Buttercup, an ogre. The ghosts must have been reading plenty of fairy tales! And they probably liked her best.

"Beeeeeeeee goneeeeeeeee!" the second ghost could be heard in that creepy voice. "Anddddddd neverrrrrr disturbbbbbbb ussssssss attttttt thisssssssssss hourrrrrrr againnnnnnnn!"

"BUBBLES! BUTTERCUP!" Bubbles could hear Blossom shout at the other end of the library. It was only at this point that Bubbles realized that she was at the back of the building, standing beside the wall. Blossom's voice came from the front.

"BLOSSOM! BUBBLES!" Buttercup's voice could be heard at another part of the library, at the corner, about as far away from her as it was to Blossom's voice.

"I'M HERE!" Bubbles shouted.

"Ppppppprincesss! Big bad wolffffffffff! Ogreeeeeeeee! Leaveeeeee nowwwwww orrrrrrr sufferrrrrrrr theeeeeeeeee penaltyyyyyyyyy!" the first ghost shouted.

Bubbles gulped, her knees shaking, but she shook it off. She can't be afraid. She's a Powerpuff Girl. And the ghosts were really not evil!

Yet she was scared.

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING!" Bubbles heard Buttercup shout.

Bubbles knew that Buttercup would go to the center, back to the elementary section. So she decided she must support her sister, no matter how scared she was.

She decided to walk. The shelves were tall, so it shielded her from view as she navigated the big library, going from section to section. _PHYSICS. HISTORY. MATHEMATICS. PHILOSOPHY._

"THERE YOU ARE!" Buttercup shouted. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, AND I'M—"

Buttercu's shout was suddenly cut off, and the youngest puff heard something fall to the floor.

She stopped. She looked at the shelves. The next one is the _Elementary_ section. Where the ghosts were. And where Buttercup must be.

"Buttercup!" she heard Blossom gasping behind the shelves. "What are—" her eldest sister was interrupted, and there was sound of something falling to the floor.

She gave a deep breath.

She walked.

She walked past the shelves.

And saw it.

Two ghosts, their eyes glowing, looked upon her sisters, both unconscious, on the ground.

She was frozen. What was happening? Did the ghosts hurt her sister? But how?

Courage began to fill her soul as she prepared to rescue her sisters. "Leave my sisters alone!" she said, her voice cracking with a mixture of fear and desperation.

But before she could do anything, she noticed that one ghost was missing.

Then she felt it.

Something collided with violence with the back of her head. She felt a sharp pain on the point of collision.

Then she blacked out before she could even open her mouth to scream.

…

* * *

 _ **Part 19: Revenge of the Ghosts**_

Boomer looked at the Princess Bubbles, slumped on the ground, unconscious. He looked at his electric bat, and smiled. The bat of his was a special weapon, his special power. He was the weakest in physical strength among the Rowdyruffs, but his bat made up for it. When he hit someone with it, it's force and impact was many times stronger than his punch and kick. And a well placed hit on the back of a powerpuff's head when they were defenseless and unprepared would knock them out. And the best thing was, it produced no sound when it made contact, nor does it emit light in the dark, unlike laser balls.

He looked at the big bad wolf and the ogre. He enjoyed hitting them both with the bat. He remembered every humiliation, every defeat, every insult, when he swung his bat and hit the unsuspecting puffs from behind. He remembered the time they kidnapped him, stripped him of his clothes, and imprisoned him.

He was naked.

In front of girls.

Who were his enemies.

He was embarrassed.

Traumatized.

He felt weak, and useless.

It made hitting the girls such a joy and such a cathartic experience. Buttercup the Ogre was the first to arrive in the elementary section. Brick and Butch were the distraction. So Buttercup, sorry, the Ogre, never even suspected him as he swung his bat. He never swung so hard in his life, and he was delighted as she dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Then Blossom the Big Bad Wolf was next. It was a pleasure knocking out the instigator of the whole thing.

But he reserved his special ire towards the Princess, the girl who actually wore his clothes, pretending to be him, embarrassing him in front of his brothers!

 _How dare she!_

He was happiest when he connected his bat to her head, and was almost ecstatic as he watched her drop to the floor.

Sweet revenge indeed.

They looked at their victims silently for a minute or so, until it was broken by a soft laugh.

"Did you see their faces?" Butch snickered. "They were scared!"

"Yeah! Not only were they sissies, they were scaredy-cats too!" Boomer agreed.

"Don't laugh too loud! We don't want the idiots outside to hear us," Brick warned.

"And we had gotten away with it!" Boomer said with relish, "even if there were those meddling kids!"

Brick hit him in the head. "That's stupid!"

"Ow! Sorry," Boomer apologized.

"By the way, why did you call them the big bad wolf, the ogre, and the princess?"

"Read about it in the stories, and I felt like it," Boomer asserted. "Hey, could we now turn off the glowing eye thing? I really don't like doing it unless I'm gonna eyebeam someone."

"Sure. And cool names for those girls! Pinky the big bad wolf? That's fitting! Buttercup being an ogre is also cool. But why Princess?"

"Princesses are spoiled brats who always whined and are girly and are sissies!" Boomer answered. "Just like that character in Princess and the Pea. She's such a sissy and weak that she can feel a pea under twenty mattresses and can't even sleep!"

"That makes sense. It fits Bubbles perfectly," Brick said.

"Hey bro, what are we gonna do with 'em sissies?" asked Butch. "If you ask me, let's kill 'em and be done with it!"

"I'd like nothing better than to finish them off," Brick began, "but it's too easy. I'd like to beat them in battle, in a fair fight, using our brains, and outsmarting them as well as overpowering them."

"Why? Why not take the easy way out?" Butch demanded.

Brick looked at the dark green eyes of his brother. "Because it's easy. Too easy. If we stop now, where would we be? We're useless pieces of trash right now. I'd like to be something else. I'd like to make something out of us. Those girls would be our ticket to it. And they'd be useless to us dead if they died right now."

"I don't get it," Butch said, scratching his sheet covered head.

"I made us promise that we'll be smarter than them. How would we know when they're dead? We won't ever know, we won't ever know that we beat them. Sure, they're dead, and we would become smarter because the living are smarter than the dead," Brick began, "but where's the glory in that?"

"I still don't get it," Boomer replied, and Butch nodded at that.

"Just trust me on this one, bro," Brick said. "I'm making this as leader. It's my decision."

"You are the leader, and we did promise you, so yeah. I just hope you know what you're doing," Butch said, looking at the sleeping girls. "So now what? If we don't kill them right now, what do we do with them?"

"We use them as a warning to all who might come and be nosy," said Brick, picking up big bad wolf. "You pick up the other two."

Butch nodded as he picked up the ogre, and Boomer picked up the princess.

The door to the library opened, and the blue ruff heard footsteps entering.

"GIRLS!" the boys heard a voice of a middle aged man.

"Glow your eyes!" Brick whispered.

Boomer nodded, and did as told. He looked down into Bubbles, whom he held by the waist. Here she was, his mortal enemy! The girl he swore to destroy. Hadn't Brick forgotten the promise? It was their purpose! He would have agreed with Butch that their death was the best form of revenge they could have made.

But Brick was leader. He had a reason for sparing them. Brick was always right, and he won't let them down. If Brick says that keeping them alive until they can beat the girls with brains as well as brawn was best, then who was he, the Dumber than the Dumbest, to question him? At least he got the pleasure of hitting all three girls by himself and knocking them out.

Revenge was so sweet!

They flew to the front part of the library, where the man and the guard, the same guard that they had scared days ago, was.

"Whattttttt areeeeeee youuuuuu doingggggg hereeeeeeee?" Brick asked in his ghost voice.

Both men stopped.

"W-w-w-where are the Powerpuff Girls?" the middle aged man, about 50, asked.

The "ghosts" went in front of the two, and to their horror, deposited the Powerpuff Girls in front them.

"Theyyyyyyyyy wereeeeeeee tooooooooo nosyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Takeeeeee themmmmmmm andddddddd leaveeeeeee!" Butch commanded.

"Anyoneeeeeeee whooooooo dareeeeeeeee distrubbbbbbbb ussssssss woulddddddd beeeee likeeeeeee themmmmmm!" Boomer said. "Weeeeeeee onlyyyyyyy wanttttttttt toooooo readdddddddd!"

The two men hurriedly picked up the unconscious girls. "We won't disturb you! Promise! We'll let you read in peace!" the middle aged man, in fear, said.

"Yeah. We won't bother you, promise!" the guard added, before the two men literally ran from the library door, closing it as they did so.

"Let's go back to reading. We still have an hour before sleeping time," Brick said.

"Yeah!" Boomer cheered.

"Finally! I'm dying to know what happened to _The Flash_!" Butch concurred, flying toward the elementary section.

The three ruffs removed their sheets, and began reading once more.

…

* * *

 _ **20\. Powerpuff Analysis**_

 _The next day, August 25, 2004, Wednesday…_

She opened her eyes and sat on her bed. She looked around, and felt bandages on her head. Then she remembered the events of the past night. She shivered. She had never been so shocked in her life!

"Are you okay, Bubbles?" Professor Utonium asked.

"I am," she said, and she looked around, and saw Blossom and Buttercup floating, both with bandages wrapped around their heads.

"All of you got nasty blows on the back of your head," said the Professor. "It's a good thing you didn't get any concussion, but it was enough to knock you out in one blow."

"Professor, the ghosts—" she began.

"I know. Your sisters already told me," he gently replied as he inspected her bandage.

"Oh, my aching head," Bubbles said, rubbing the part of her head which was hit. "Those ghosts really were strong, weren't they?"

"They are," Buttercup agreed. "I'm sorry Bubbles for doubting you earlier. You're right. There were ghosts."

"Powerful ghosts too," said Blossom, "if they can hit us with enough power to knock us out."

"Well, I need to go down now," Professor Utonium said. "Just rest, okay?"

Bubbles nodded. She felt bad. Not because of the pain. But because they had disturbed the ghosts.

"I guess they really didn't want to be disturbed while they're reading," said Bubbles.

"Well, those were certainly not figments of their imaginations. Whatever it was that hit us was real," Blossom affirmed.

"What do you mean whatever?" Buttercup asked. "Isn't it obvious? The ghosts of Townsville Library exists! And they're haunting the library at night!"

"Buttercup, you said before you didn't believe in the ghosts!" the pink puff argued.

"I know what I saw. Seeing is believing!" the green puff retorted.

"True. We saw what we saw. But they could also be intruders who dressed up like ghosts and tried to scare us," said Blossom, "because either they're reading, or they're doing something sinister. As nothing was stolen, and we saw those open books, I think they really are reading."

"I gotta go back," Bubbles cried.

"What? What for?" Buttercup asked.

"I need to apologize. We disturbed them! They must think that we're horrible people!"

"Well, come to think of it, have you read about reports of the ghosts knocking out people?" Blossom asked. "Ghosts were supposed to be harmless! They only scare, not hurt!"

"Well, we disturbed them!" Bubbles defended. "They have a reason. And they were only there to guard the books and to read! They're nice, anyway."

"They're nice?" Buttercup asked incredulously.

"They called me Princess, while they called you…" Bubbles began but then stopped when she remembered what they called the others.

"Go on, Bubbles, finish that thought," Blossom dared.

"Well, they called me a Princess! Not Princess Morebucks, but well, you know what they mean!"

"They called me the big bad wolf," Blossom finished.

Bubbles tried to suppress the urge, but then started giggling, then laughed outright at the memory. "Yeah, you're a big bad wolf! Awooo! And Buttercup, what did they call you?"

"I'm an ogre! At least I am way cooler than a wolf or a silly Princess! Ogres are strong and beat up those who are weak!" Buttercup snapped.

Bubbles laughed even louder! "He called you an ogre! An ogre!"

Buttercup stuck her tongue out. "An ogre is way better than a Princess! At least I'm not a stuck up snob who thinks she's better than everyone!"

"Now be nice, Buttercup," Blossom chided, "The ghosts don't know who Princess Morebucks is. I'm sure they're really complimenting her."

"Yeah. And I'm sure big bad wolf is also a compliment?" the green eyed puff retorted.

"Well, um, ah, a big bad wolf is a, um, well, nevermind," Blossom conceded. "But I don't think the ghosts were complimenting you when they called you an ogre!"

"Compliment or not, ogres are cool!"

"Righttt! So what do we do about the ghosts?" asked Blossom.

"We go back and apologize for being mean!" Bubbles said.

"We go back and kick their ghostly butts!" Buttercup answered.

"I don't think they're ghosts!" Blossom said.

"Hello! We saw them! They matched what we saw in the books!" Buttercup argued.

"Yeah! They float, and their eyes glowed, and they were reading at night!" Bubbles affirmed.

"I think they're just creeps donning sheets. As for the eyes and floating, well, I'm sure there's an explanation."

"So who do you think is pretending to be ghosts and could have their eyes glow like that?" the green puff asked.

"The Rowdyruff Boys?" the blonde ventured.

"I thought about it. After all, they were three. They could float. They could have their eyes glow. But there's one flaw. What were the ghosts doing? _Reading._ Now imagine the boys reading."

Bubbles thought about the time she spent time pretending to be Boomer. She remembered Brick spelling dumb d-u-m. It was so ridiculous that she can't help but laugh. "They _can't spell_. How can they even _read?"_

"Yeah, I thought so. The boys are stupid! Why would they go in the library to read at night? They can't even spell! Their heads would hurt just trying to read even the simplest books!" the redhead said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah. It can't be those stupid Rowdyruffs," Buttercup agreed. "I mean they don't even go to school! They wouldn't bother!"

"And think about it. The boys are destructive hoodlums. They'd just fight us there and then. Why go through an elaborate hoax of pretending to be ghosts? I'm sure the boys are too dumb to even know about the Ghosts of Townsville Library to even try to pretend to be them," Blossom explained.

Bubbles agreed. "The place was too orderly. No way can the boys keep still!"

"So it isn't the Rowdyruff Boys!" puff leader declared.

"Yeah. They're really ghosts!" Bubbles argued.

"Yeah. Bubbles is right. They're ghosts! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"I don't think they're ghosts," the pink eyed leader insisted. "Tell you what. We'll go back, and use our x-ray vision to see what's under those sheets. If we see nothing, then I'll admit, they're really ghosts!"

"Yay! We'll go back! I'm going to say sorry for bothering them!" Bubbles proclaimed.

"You do that. Just remember, be careful. We don't want to be knocked out again. I'm pretty sure we're facing a brand new enemy we haven't seen before," Blossom cautioned.

"And I'm telling you, Red, they are real ghosts"! Buttercup retorted.

…

* * *

 _ **21\. A Small Setback**_

Later that night, at about seven p.m.…

Boomer and his brothers flew towards the library. They were a bit late, since the three celebrated their feat of knocking out the girls by stealing pizza, some fried chicken from the local KFC, and sodas from a vending machine. It was full of toasts, of laughter, of teasing, and of impromptu fights.

It was a glorious night. Hopefully, all those snoopy people would take the hint and leave them alone.

He looked forward to reading more stories. He began to read some of the longer tales, and right now, he was reduced to reading one story per night as the length only permitted such. Pretty soon, he would need two nights, or more, to read one tale.

But it would be worth it. He really enjoyed the children's stories, especially those with pictures. The only thing that he disliked was that the bad guys kept losing. And the so called good guys always won! He really disliked that, since he was a proud bad guy. So he simply pretended that the good guys were really bad, and the bad guys really good. That made it easier for him to enjoy the tales.

And his vocabulary had expanded so much. He learned so many new words during the past few days in the library, and the dictionary that Brick always carried around helped a lot. He enjoyed trying to use the new words in his sentences. So much so that sometimes, he was unaware that he was actually using new words or big words for that matter.

And now, he'll read more stories. He already picked up the book he wanted to read that night. A children's version of _Hercules_.

"Stop," Brick suddenly said a few hundred yards from the library.

Butch and Boomer stopped, and looked at their leader. Brick pointed to the entrance.

There were the two men whom they had scared the night before.

And the Powerpuff Girls. Blossom the Wolf, Buttercup the Ogre, and Princess Bubbles.

"Turn on your superhearing," Brick whispered, as the three settled on top of a nearby building, "and listen."

"Aren't you scared that the ghosts would hurt you?" asked the middle age man.

"No, Mr Clarence," the big bad wolf replied. "We tried to disturb their reading. And we were surprised."

"Yeah, we'll be ready this time," the ogre asserted. "Mr Clarence, Mr Stewart, we won't be caught unaware twice!"

"And we'll apologize for bugging them," the Princess asserted.

"Okay, be careful. I don't want to discover that you're knocked out," Mr Clarence said.

"Yeah. Don't anger the ghosts," said Mr Stewart, the guard.

"Don't worry, we'll be careful," the wolf assured. "C'mon girls, let's go!"

Mr Clarence opened the door, and the two girls entered.

"Let's see what they're up to," Brick said, flying to the side of the library. "Use your x-ray vision, and listen with your superhearing."

Both boys nodded, as they did as they were told. They landed and hid on the bushes besides the wall. Boomer turned on his x-ray vision, and saw the girls on the front part, sitting on couches as the wolf gave them instructions.

"This time, we'll see if the ghosts are real," the pink wolf instructed. "Remember what we talked about?"

"Yeah! We turn on our x-ray vision, and see what's behind those white things," the ogre recited mechanically in a bored tone. "Then we can kick their butts if they're just some losers in white sheets!"

"Yeah, but I'm sure we won't see anything," the Princess countered. "They really are ghosts!"

Brick suddenly flew high in the sky, and he signaled his brothers to do the same.

"What?" Butch asked when they were high enough.

"We're not going to the library tonight," the leader announced.

"What? I was gonna read about how Batman kicked Joker's butt! I'm already at issue #196!" his middle brother whined.

"And I want to read more on the history of the Roman Empire, but we can't if the girls are there," Brick said.

"So we scare them again," Boomer argued. "And knock them out again."

"Idiot! Do you think they'll fall for the same trick twice? Haven't you been listening! They would use their x-ray vision. And find out it was us. What will happen next?"

"They're gonna fight us!" Butch answered.

"Right. And who's gonna win?" Brick asked.

"We are! We're stronger!" the green ruff replied.

"No, you idiot! They are! We're still stupid idiots and we don't know anything," Brick stated. "We have no chance! And if we show up, then we probably can't go back to the library any time soon."

"Oh I knew it! We should've just killed them last night!" Butch whined.

"Let's go back after an hour, and see if they're still there," the redheaded leader said.

* * *

 _One hour later…_

"They're still there," Boomer grumbled as he looked at the inside of the library building using his x-ray vision.

"Let's go back after an hour," Brick ordered.

* * *

 _An hour later, at about nine p.m…._

"Couldn't they do something else?" Butch complained as the three looked at the library. The wolf was reading some books, the blonde Princess was flying around looking for something, and the ogre was asleep on the couch.

"Let's go back," said Brick, "in an hour."

* * *

 _An hour later, at about ten p.m._

The boys were standing just outside the wall of the library, on the side.

They again used their x-ray vision, and disappointingly, the Powerpuff Girls were still inside. Using their superhearing, they listened.

"Where are the ghosts?" the wolf exclaimed as she looked at the clock.

"Apparently, they got scared of the Powerpuff Girls," the ogre said.

"After what they did to us last night? They cannot be scared of us," the Princess said. "Maybe we didn't try to disturb them, so they didn't try to show up?"

"There goes our plan," big bad wolf said, sighing. "Le't go. It's ten p.m. Time of our bedtime. We promised the Professor."

"Yeah. I want to get out of this boring place anyway," the ogre agreed.

"HELLO GHOSTS!" the Princess shouted. "WE'RE LEAVING! SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOUR READING LAST NIGHT!"

"Let's go," said the wolf, opening the door.

"So how was it?" Mr Clarence asked, who was waiting outside.

"Nothing happened," the pink wolf puff said. "Thanks for waiting for us."

With that, the Powerpuff Girls went home.

...

* * *

"Finally!" Butch said, relief evident in his voice as the three boys went to the terrace of the third floor. Brick, used his paperclip to open the locked door, and sneaked to their usual place.

Boomer was about to switch on the light so he could read when he was stopped by Brick.

"No. No reading tonight. Let's sleep. Now!"

"But we haven't read yet!" Butch complained.

"Yeah. I know. But we gotta have a good night's rest," Brick lectured. "Look at what happened last night I stayed up all night."

The two boys grumbled, but did as told, settling on the soft couches. Boomer lay down, and fell asleep.

* * *

 _The next night, August 26, Thursday…_

"The girls are there," Boomer said to his two brothers.

"Let's go back at ten," Brick ordered, to the chagrin of his brothers.

* * *

So during the nights until September, the same dance would happen. The girls would spend the night until bedtime in the library, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ghost and either to beat them up in Buttercup's case, to talk to them and make them friends in Bubbles' case, or to reveal the imposters in Blossom's case.

But the ghosts would only appear after their bedtime, and the Professor would be adamant that they would be home by ten p.m.

The boys always wanted to resume their reading, but the girls' presence put a stop to that. Still, they preferred sleeping on the couches of the library than on the hard mattresses of their home. They would occasionally don the white sheets when a nosy guard got too close.

Regardless, after what the "ghosts" did to the Powerpuff Girls on August 24, all ordinary people would be scared to venture in the library after dark.

* * *

 **End of Chapter II**

 **Please, please, kindly leave a review if you liked this story. Thank you!**

 **Author Notes**

To **GoingQwazy,** _Ooh this is good. I love how it still has all the basic material for most ppg fanfics, yet you managed yo make it different. This won't be a ppgxrrb story, though, will it?_

Thank you. I try to keep them in character as much as possible in the beginning, though obviously, they would change based on the events of the story as it unfolds. As it being a romance story? Nope. They're too young for that, and they're mortal enemies at this point. Perhaps in a story after this, or in the far future. But whatever will happen in the future, this story will lay a base for it.

* * *

To **Akum,** _I'm so happy to follow this new adventure, cu!_

Thanks for enjoying this story! I hope you enjoy the ride!

* * *

To **Zerodius,** _Really, really don't get why you don't get more reviews for your story. While I can understand not getting much attention for my own story given it doesn't involve the nigh-omnipresent RRBs and given I'm going for a rather different premise than what most fans are used to, I really don't get why you don't get more reviews for this._

 _This story, in particular, is quite interesting. It seems to be a reset/AU compared to your previously established series. Given this one seems to take "The Boys are back in Town" into consideration (while your previous series either ignored it or was first created before it aired), I'm quite curious to see how it will end up developing the RRBs differently._

 _I'm especially hopeful since compared to most RRB & PPG authors, you seem to consistently try to portray the characters consistently instead of just shoving them into pairings for the sake of shipping (which is one of my big pet peeves about many stories in the fandom)._

 _As a whole, I'm curious where you'll bring this and I'm hoping you'll continue it._

 _If you took the time to read this review, then thank you very much!_

Thank you. _Allies and Rivals,_ my previous series, was started on November of 2003, while _The Boys Are Back in Town_ aired on 2004. It's shown by the fact in that series, it's not Him but my own character, Dr Edwards, who revived the RRB. So it didn't account the changes to the boys that _The Boys are Back in Town_ , _Bubble Boy_ , _Boy Toys_ , and _Custody Battle_ showed. Thus, all the subsequent tales, from _Allies and Rivals_ to _Falsely Accused_ , also ignored those episodes.

This tale accounts for those episodes, and their characters. So technically, this is no AU! Though based on small events, they would be big changes. Like Brick in this chapter stealing Blossom's book, which is something he would likely do based on his character, who happened to be going to the library at that time. That's a small acorn, but it would lead to a mighty oak, as they say.

Where I hope to lead them you'll just have to see!

As for the relationship to the PPG, well, at this point, they are too young for that in this tale, and like in the series, they are mortal enemies. They would have to grow up a bit, and change their opinions about it each other first before anything could happen. Would that happen? Maybe, maybe not. But I'll have to confess that I like to read ships them, and only them, but I won't write anything until the conditions warrant it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for this review. You made my day! I hope this story would be to your liking, as it heavily focus on character development, particularly on the boys.

* * *

To **Guest,** :dude update this asap its so good wheres chapter 2

Here's chapter 2. I hope you like it too!

* * *

And thanks to A.J. Fluffernutter, Coconut Cat is real, Goddess Cure Mystic, GoingQwazy, LittleRoseBlossom, Nexus258 and V-Up for my making this story one of your favorites!

And thanks to A.J. Fluffernutter, Akum, Carriedreamer, Coconut Cat is real, GoingQwazy, LetsPlayAGame, LittleRoseBlossom, Nexus258, Raven-Claw9, V-Up, and Zerodius for following this story!

* * *

 **Thanks to you all for inspiring me to continue with this tale, my dear readers!**


	3. I-School Hijinks

**An Education For Power**

* * *

Brick tries to educate himself and his brothers so they can beat the Powerpuff Girls. Chapter 3. Brick goes to school. Without being part of the school. Huh? After seeing the PPG go to school, he follows them to see what they were up to. And he decided that the best way to learn was to sneak and listen secretly to teacher. Except that his brothers can't keep out of trouble!

 **Note** : Please leave a review if you like this story or chapter! Thanks!

* * *

 **Book I**

 **How to Learn?**

 **Chapter III**

 **School Hijinks**

* * *

 _ **22\. Breakfast Before School**_

* * *

 _September 6, 2004, Monday…_

The leader of the Rowdyruff Boys was flying over Townsville in the early morning. They had just woken up in Townsville Library, and he and his brothers went to Fuzzy's shack to get some sleep. He decided to get some early breakfast, and perhaps get his brothers something to eat.

Brick was angry. He was mad. And it was all the fault of the Powerpuff Girls. They and their stupid meddling. Boomer was wrong. They didn't get away with it! They would have if it wasn't for those meddling kids! His plans for getting smarter than the girls were delayed. Now they would never be smarter than the girls!

He shuddered at the thought.

Perhaps Butch was right. He should've killed the girls when he had the chance. Instead, he let them go so he could defeat them in a fair fight using brains! But of course, that may have been a mistake. And why did he make such a mistake in the first place?

Because he was _stupid_! It was so fitting for someone who cannot, not so long ago, even spell the word "dumb"!

He needed to avoid the puffs in the meantime.

Wary of meeting the Powerpuff Girls while he was alone, he flew close to the ground. Unfortunately, a lot of the restaurants where he gets his stolen food were still closed at that early hour. So he had to look for something that was already open.

The only thing that he could spot was a cheap burger joint. There were already some customers at that early hour. Most of those customers were either on night shift on their way home, or those who had to work very early in the morning, and were on their way to work. A lot of them were construction workers. Some were doctors on their way home from the hospital. And some were joggers.

He casually landed on the ground, and entered. All eyes were on him, but they resumed their meals, not recognizing him as a Rowdyruff. Perhaps they were too used to seeing them float and fly that when they walk, they don't recognize him? Perhaps it was the shades that concealed his red eyes?

Whatever it was, he was amused as he walked and gave his order at the counter. Burger, fries, and a hot chocolate drink.

The waiter, a gangly tall man in his mid-twenties, with blonde hair and brown eyes, listed the order and yelled at the cook. Ten minutes later, his food and drink arrived.

The burger was just average, but the fries, he had to admit, was delicious. The hot chocolate was good too.

Satisfied, he walked out of the establishment when he heard the waiter shout, "hey kid, you forgot to pay!"

Brick smirked, turned around. "Yeah? How much?"

"Five ninety nine."

"Sorry, I forgot to bring money," he replied.

"That's not funny, kid. If you don't give me the money, I'll—"

He stopped when the six-year-old ruff removed his shades, revealing his unnatural eye color. He floated to the eye level of the waiter. "Or you'll do what?"

"Um, the meal's on the house!" he stuttered, recognizing the boy as a Rowdyruff.

"I'm glad you recognize your betters," he said in a low voice before turning around and leaving.

He really enjoyed doing that. He realized that the Rowdyruff Boys, by this time, had such a reputation that he need not use force to get his way. He only needed to ask, and the implied threat of what will happen if they didn't do as he said was all that it took.

And it had the added benefit of minimizing contact with the Powerpuff Girls. There was less chance of someone calling the annoying puffs with threats than with outright violence.

He regretted not ordering for his brothers, but knowing them, they're still asleep, and the food would be cold by the time they were ready to eat.

It was about 7:45 in the morning. He was casually walking, taking care not to draw too much attention to himself as he was not in the mood to fight or cause trouble. He was alone and he was _not_ ready to take on three puffs.

Speaking of puffs, he noticed something in the sky. Three streaks of pink, light green, and light blue. Correctly guessing it to be the Powerpuff Girls, he focused his vision, and saw that the three girls were wearing something other than their usual dresses. All three were wearing identical black skirts, but were wearing sweaters or jackets that were color coded—pink, green, and light blue, and he could see them wearing color coded ribbons on their necks. Each was carrying backpacks, also in their respective color.

He got curious. He had never seen them wear anything other than their usual dresses.

"Hey kid, aren't you supposed to be at school?" a middle aged man in a trench coat called.

"And you are?" asked the amused ruff.

"Truant officer Jack Wednesday," he said.

Brick debated whether or not he should teach that impertinent fellow a lesson. But he decided not to draw attention to himself. Besides, he wanted to see where the Powerpuff Girls were headed.

"Kids like you should be at school," he began.

He took that as his cue to leave. He floated. He judged that the girls were sufficiently far enough so they won't notice what he was about to do.

"You're flying! What the—"

"See ya later, pal," he said, giving a kick to his jaw that sent him to the ground and into unconsciousness. Brick then followed the Powerpuff Girls. He flew behind them, taking care not to be noticed. They seemed to be in a hurry.

They never turned around.

He saw them fly into a big building.

 _Pokey Oakes Elementary._

He followed and landed on the roof, carefully keeping out of sight.

There were lots of kids wearing the same outfit—well, the girls at least. They all had the same black pleated skirt, that came to their knees or longer, with knee length black socks or black tights and black mary jane shoes, with the effect that no skin on their legs was seen. Their sweaters were differently colored, depending on their taste, but have the same design. Underneath the sweaters was a white blouse.

 _Why are they wearing the same clothes? Only the colors of their sweaters and the thing tied around their necks are different._

The boys wore black pants, leather shoes, and jackets or coats with an identical design. But the jackets had different colors, but all in dark shades. Black, grey, brown, blue, red, green. All them were wearing some kind of cloth around their neck, but thicker than that of the girls, and it was longer too, reaching up to their waist.

* * *

 _ **23\. The Playground and the Classroom**_

All the kids were running around the grounds, playing with each other. Adults were there too, some coming with the students, others supervising the kids once they arrived. When the Powerpuff Girls arrived, they all stopped and looked at them land in the middle of the ground.

They gave a cheer.

"Powerpuffs!" they shouted, and they mobbed them. The girls shook their hands, and they agreed to play with some of them.

Brick could see Bubbles going to a group of girls and she played by jumping while two other girls held rope and swung it. Using his super hearing, he learned that it was called jump rope. He smirked. The blue puff was obviously holding back, as her jumps were painfully slow—for a powerpuff. It was fast compared to the kids, and it was obvious that she was putting more effort into slowing down than to actually jumping.

He looked at Pinky. She was with a group of children, and playing, based on what he heard again using his superhearing, "duck, duck, goose." They looked like they were having fun. Still, it was a stupid pastime.

Then there was Buttercup. Cowering before her was a boy with brown hair and a mischievous expression.

"Don't you ever try that again, Mitch Mitchelson!" he heard her threaten.

"Hey, I was just having fun! You aren't the one I'm hurting!" Mitch replied.

"I don't care! Don't bully anyone, especially Mike Believe!" she said, pointing to another boy, who was obviously the boy she referred to.

A vehicle arrived. It was a long white car, which he later found out was called a limousine. The driver opened the back door, and a curly red haired girl, the same age as the Powerpuff Girls, came out. He recognized her.

Princess Morebucks.

He recalled with a smile her attempts to join the Rowdyruff Boys. He must thank her sometime. She was responsible for their fun with the tank, the plane, and the boat. Playing with the plane was really really cool! Though he wished he had time to try out Butch's tank and Boomer's boat.

Except for pretending to be ghosts in the library, it was the most fun they had since they were brought back to life.

Still, she was a lame-o girl who thought she could join the Rowdyruff Boys! She's not even a boy! They ought to have just beaten her up!

All the kids looked at her as she stepped out of the limo. She opened her mouth. She was about to say something.

Then the bell rang, and all the kids walked, or sometimes, ran, inside the building. Princess was disappointed that her grand entrance was spoiled.

"Don't be late, Carmichael," she said to driver.

Brick watched as she caught up with the last of the kids. He himself rested a bit, wondering what else was there in this so-called school.

Stupid school. He was glad he wasn't attending one.

He looked through the building, using his x-ray vision to spot the girls. They went to one room. It was on a wing, the right wing, of the building, that happened to be two storeys. Luckily for him, the classroom was on the second floor. So he flew to the roof.

He turned on his x-ray vision and superhearing, and saw the three girls, but also other kids their age in a room. They were seated. In front of them was a desk. There was a dark green thing in the wall, and with white markings—letters—on it. There was a flag on the side of the green thing.

There was a middle-aged woman, with black hair and blue eyes.

"Hi Ms Keane!" Pinky greeted.

"Hello Ms. Keane!" the rest of the class followed in unison.

"Hello. I already know most of you. A lot of you were my students in kindergarten. For those who are new, my name is Ms Sandra Keane. I will be your first grade teacher for most of your subjects. I'm sure we will have a wonderful time learning. Let's start by telling us your name, and what you did this summer. Princess, you start."

The spoiled redhead stood up. "Hello. My name is Princess Morebucks. And I am the richest girl in all of Townsville. That makes me better than all of you. Yes, even better than the Powerpuff Girls. Because as they say, money makes the world go round, and I have tons of cash. As for what I did? I went on a cruise in the Caribbean. And I got to tour Europe."

"Thank you, Princess."

The kid behind her was next, and so it went on. Brick began to wonder why it was that all the kids, not to mention the teacher, had at least two names? Why was there a need for a second name? And the second usually was weird. Believe. Morbucks. Snyder. Why do they call themselves those kinds of names?

 _Because they are idiots and they are stupid._

He waited for the Powerpuffs. He was curious if they too had at least two names.

"Hello. My name is Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium."

 _What? Pinky has four names? And why did she choose Utonium as a name? That sounded weird. Then again, she chose to be called Blossom. That was really stupid._

"I am a Powerpuff Girl. In fact, I am the leader. And we stayed in Townsville during the summer, and we repeatedly saved the day from monsters and villains."

"Thank you Blossom. Bubbles?"

"Thank you. I am Bubbles Joy Utonium. They call me the joy and the laughter of the Powerpuff Girls. During the summer, we always save the day, but Blossom already told you that. We also saw the Ghosts of Townsville Library!"

Brick raised his eyebrow at that. This was getting interesting.

"Oohhh!" the rest of the class said.

"Yeah, I heard you got clonked in the head and got put to sleep," Princess sneered.

"Shut up, Princess! We were surprised, that's all!" Buttercup snapped.

"Well, it's true, we were knocked out," Bubbles admitted, "but that's because they thought we were doing something bad. You see, the ghosts aren't really bad. They're there just to guard the books of the library, and they also wanted to just read, and well, we made them think we're disturbing them!"

"Thank you Bubbles," Ms Keane said, cutting off any response of Princess, or for that matter, Buttercup.

Buttercup stood up. "I'm Buttercup Therese Utonium. I'm the toughest fighter! I kicked some monster butt during the summer!"

After that, things became less interesting for the red haired ruff. He pondered what he should do, before he flew home. His brothers were still sleeping. So he laid down on his mattress, and was soon asleep.

* * *

 _ **24\. Being at School, Learning at School**_

 _September 8, 2004, Wednesday…_

Brick opened his eyes, and looked around the shack. His brothers were still sleeping. The night before, they did their usual routine. They went to the library early, hoping that the girls would give up their quest to discover the ghosts now that they would be too busy with school. But it was not so. In fact, Blossom took advantage of the situation by doing her homework in the library. Bubbles went along with her sister's plan with equanimity, while Buttercup was disgruntled.

But until they stopped, the boys could do nothing without risk of being discovered and fighting a battle that, Brick feared, the boys might lose. So they just came in after the girls left, and that left no time for the boys but to sleep. They left early to avoid being discovered, and resumed their sleep in the shack.

It was disconcerting to the Rowdyruff leader. He was noticing that his sleep patterns were disturbed. Their activities were leaving them exhausted and sleepy during the afternoons, especially after lunch. They were thus needing more and more nap time during the day.

He got up, and wondered what he was going to do. He remembered the Powerpuff Girls were at school last Monday. He wondered if they were at school during that day.

He went out and flew towards the elementary school. It was about 9:30 in the morning, and he landed on the roof of the small wing that housed the classroom where he had last seen the Powerpuff Girls.

He again turned on both this x-ray vision and his superhearing, and his attention turned to the teacher, Ms Keane. She was speaking in front of the students. She was holding a white thing he later learned was called a chalk, occasionally writing something.

She was _teaching_.

And he was hooked. He was _entranced_. Her voice was pleasant to listen to, and the way she spoke was such that it compelled the listener to pay attention. And he was _learning_. The current subject was English, and Ms Keane was teaching grammar.

He finally found a way to learn without the library.

And without going to school.

Well, technically, he was at school, but he was not going to school, if that made sense. He was not like those poor saps trapped inside the classroom with no freedom and no options.

Unlike them, Brick was smart. He could come and go as he pleased. He would learn. He would not be bound by the rules of school.

And he finally understood why so many chose to attend. It's because it's their way of learning. It's their way of becoming smart. And he understood why those idiots had to be compelled to attend. If they were not, they would not bother, and they would remain dumb for the rest of their lives. So those students were still stupid. He was not stupid. He would come here. _Willingly_. But not be bound by their stupid rules.

And he finally found, he believed, the secret to why the Powerpuff Girls were so much smarter than them! They had been attending school for at least a year. While the boys were not.

Granted, school was dumb, but… School was _not_ dumb.

He listened as Ms Keane expounded on the rules of grammar. He learned a lot. Some of those he already knew from his reading, but a lot were new, or those he already knew got explained and he understood better what he had read from books.

It was a wonderful experience.

The bell rang.

And the teacher switched subjects. She was now teaching history.

Ms Keane began asking questions.

"Okay class. Who was the first President of the United States?"

 _That's easy. George Washington._

He looked at the class. Only one raised her hand.

"Yes Blossom?"

"The first president was George Washington!"

 _Yes! I got it! I got it before Blossom._

"Thank you. Now, what was his address called when he decided not to run for a third term?"

 _That's easy. It's called the Goodbye Address._

Again, Pinky was the only one who raised her hand.

"Yes Blossom?"

"It's his Farewell Address."

 _Wrong, Pinky._

"Correct!"

 _What_? _That can't be! Okay, we're tied._

"Third question. What was the event in France that led to war in Europe?"

 _That's the French Rebellion._

Again, it was Blossom who raised her hand.

"Yes, Blossom?" Ms Keane called with a tone of exasperation.

"It's the French Revolution."

 _Wrong!_

"That's right!"

 _Oh yeah. It's revolution, not rebellion._

 _Blossom: 2_

 _Brick: 1_

"Okay. What was event during the time of Thomas Jefferson that made the United States bigger?"

 _The Louisiana Purchase._

Again, only Blossom raised her hand.

 _Seriously, does nobody else in this class ever know anything?_

As if the teacher was echoing Brick's thoughts, she said, "Is there anybody else other than Blossom that want to try?"

Mitch Mitchelson raised his hand.

"Yes Mitch?"

"It's the Civil War."

"No, Mitch, sit down. Yes, Princess Morebucks?"

"That's when my ancestor, Peter Morbucks, moved from Boston to Maine!"

"I'm sure that's important to your family, Princess, but that did not increase the size of the country. Anything else?"

"Well, that's when Benjamin Franklin discovered lightning!"

"One, Ben Franklin did not discover lightning. Everybody knew that lightning existed before him. What he proved was the connection between lightning and electricity. Second, that happened five decades before. Third, that didn't enlarge the size of the U.S."

Princess sat down again.

"Seriously, does anyone of you even read your textbooks? I told you to read chapter 4."

She was met with silence.

"Anybody read the chapter?"

Only Blossom raised her hand.

"Okay, Blossom. What was it?"

"The Florida Purchase."

"It was the Louisiana Purchase," Ms Keane corrected.

 _Yeah! I got you, Pinky. We're tied again!_

"Oh yes. I guess I got it mixed with what happened the during the next decade."

Then Ms Keane went on a lecture on the topic. He was entranced. She was very good at teaching. She knew how to handle kids. Both know-it-alls like Pinky, and those who knew nothing, like the one called Elmer Sglue, were handled expertly, and she knew how to keep their attention and to make them learn. Even Princess bowed to her authority. She would be perfect for teaching Boomer and Butch.

Ms Keane was perfect. _Perfect_!

But that would entail going to school. He shook his head. Getting Ms Keane to teach them was not worth being imprisoned in school all day. They wouldn't want to trade their freedom. And they were evil.

Evil kids don't go to school.

Yet Princess was evil. And she goes to school.

Princess was not really evil then, only a spoiled brat with pretensions to greatness.

* * *

 _ **25\. Fun With Math**_

The bell rang, and again, the teacher stayed, and just switched to a new subject.

Mathematics.

She began writing on the green part of the wall.

 _Numbers with symbols._

"Class, have you done your homework?"

Collective groans could be heard from the students.

"Yes Ms Keane!" Pinky said, showing her homework. The other kids also showed theirs, although with less confidence than the Powerpuff Leader.

"Okay, who would like to go in front, and write the solution in the blackboard?"

 _So it's called a blackboard? Why not call it a greenboard? It's green, right?_

984 + 653

452 + 652

239-112

426-165

1,125 + 653

He looked at the problems. Then he realized he had no idea how to solve any of them. He had not read one math book in the library. He only knew simple arithmetic. Like 1+1=2. Or even 9+9=18. But Him never thought them how to add numbers with two digits.

Pinky quickly solved the first problem. And she explained how she did it.

"To solve 984 plus 653, you must first add the last digit. So 3 plus 4 equals 7. Then add the next digits. 8 plus 5 equals 13. But it's two digits! What you do is to put the last digit, 3, next to seven, then carry the tens digits, above the next digit, so put it above 9. So 9 + 6 equals 15. Add 1, the number carried, to 15, and it would equal 16. So put 16, and you get an answer of 1,637."

 _That's so simple! Pinky really knows math. I really need to catch up._

"Very good, Blossom!" Ms Keane said.

He mentally tried to do the next problem.

 _So let's see. 452 + 652. Two plus two equal four. Then 5 plus 5 equals 10. Wait. What if the digit is zero? Okay, let's put it besides 4, and carry 1 like Pinky said, above the next digit to the left. So four plus six is ten. Add one. Eleven. So the answer is 1,104._

Blossom got the same answer. And Ms Keane confirmed it.

 _Yes! I am so great! I am so smart! I learn very fast!_

He then tried to answer the next problem, but he got lost since he had no idea how to deduct three digit numbers. And this time, he wasn't able to get the solution from just watching Pinky solve it. He needed a paper or something to write in to get it right. But he had nothing.

After the problem solving, Ms Keane again took over, teaching. Brick listened intently, determined to be better than Blossom. He made a promise, after all, in front of his brothers.

After the lecture, she said, "Class, here's your homework."

Collective groans from the students.

She began writing problems on the board.

52+63. 1+56. 965+652. 475-432. 110-99. 125+752. 365+452. 412-32. 445+621. 725-652.

The students started copying it on their notebooks. Brick himself looked around. He needed to try to solve those numbers! But where would he get a paper and pencil?

He decided he'll just steal a notebook from the dumb students. Maybe even from Pinky herself.

The bell rang.

And the students began getting out of the classrooms. They walked or ran into the grounds outside. It was a break or something.

"RECESS!" Buttercup shouted, giving it a name.

He again looked at the classroom, and it was empty. Except for Ms Keane. He watched, hoping that she would leave and he would get his chance.

Then suddenly, there was a shadow. He turned and looked at its source.

He paled.

It was Blossom. She was in the air.

He stood there, frozen.

But she had her back turned on him. In fact, she was looking for something else, away from the roof.

 _Please don't turn around. Please don't turn around. Please don't turn around._

"I can't see it!" Blossom said, looking at something in the distance.

"I'm sure it's there !" Mike Believe shouted from the ground. "You can't miss it!"

"I can't see any green house that looks strange," said Blossom. "All of them look pretty normal to me."

Buttercup flew and floated beside her sister.

"I can't see it too. Are you sure it isn't your imagination, Mike?"

She was looking down, her back still to the roof, to his relief.

"I'm sure," Mike Believe answered.

"I can't see anything," Buttercup said. "Are you sure it's in that direction?"

"I'm sure!"

 _Please don't turn around._

Brick would be creamed if he got into a confrontation with the three puffs. He was thankful that Buttercup and Blossom's attention was fixed to whatever it was they were looking at.

Still, his heart nearly stopped as he kept looking, silently, at the back of the two girls. Buttercup turned.

He nearly had a heart attack.

But only slightly, and said to Blossom, "I can't see anything."

"Me too. No green strange house in that direction."

Then to his immense relief, the two floated down.

Brick immediately flew to the back of the building, where there was no one. He breathed heavily as he noticed that he was covered with sweat. It was scary.

Scary.

He used his super speed and stood right outside the puff's classroom. He used his x-ray vision to see if there was anyone inside. Finding it empty, went in and he looked at the blackboard. The math problems were still there. He looked around and saw notebooks still open on the table. Apparently, they were too eager to go out that they didn't bother to put away their things.

He floated to Blossom's table. He was tempted to steal her open notebook. But he decided not to, since that might alert the others of his presence. He looked at her handwriting. It was so neat and orderly. Not like his which was ugly and hardly legible. And her notes were orderly and organized.

He tore the next empty page of the notebook.

He took the pencil, and copied the problems on the board. He decided that he might need more paper, so he tore four more pages. He then got her pencil. He would need it too if he wanted to solve problems.

He was about to leave, but then realized that tearing pages from her notebook and stealing pencils would also make her suspicious.

He had an idea. He saw a red pen on the teacher's desk. He took it, and wrote on the next empty page of Pinky's notebook.

 _I AM THE GHOST OF TOWNSVILLE LIBRARY. FEAR ME. DO NOT COME BACK! BIG BAD WOLF, DO NOT RETURN! TELL THE OGRE AND PRINCESS TOO THAT THEY SHOULD NOT COME BACK!_

The words were printed, and he tried to conceal his handwriting as much as possible.

He left the classroom, and went back to the roof. He smirked as soon as he heard the bell ring.

…

* * *

 _ **26\. Ghosts in School**_

The scream was music to his ears.

Looking on with his x-ray vision, he saw the other kids go to Blossom's desk.

"Oh my God! The ghosts! They're here!" Bubbles shrieked as she stared at the torn notebook. "They must be still angry!"

"But that's impossible!" Blossom said as the rest of the kids crowded around her.

"Now, I'm sure it's just someone who played a prank," Ms Keane said, looking at the notebook. "Okay class, who wrote that?"

Buttercup shook her head. "That's no trick. The Big Bad Wolf. Ogre. Princess. That's what the ghosts called us."

"And we told no one else," Bubbles said.

"Wait? Why am I mentioned by the ghost?" asked Princess Morbucks, fear evident in her voice.

"She's not talking about you, idiot! The ghost meant Bubbles!"

"What? Somebody called Bubblehead here Princess?"

"Yes. And it's not a name. It's a compliment," Blossom asserted. "But why would a ghost come here, tear a page out of my notebook, and steal my pencil?"

"So you do believe there's really a ghost! It wasn't just someone in a white sheet!" Bubbles asserted.

"Well, I still think it's not a real ghost. It's just that they're here, and they're trying to scare us away from the library," Blossom asserted.

"So are there ghosts in school?" Mike Believe asked, clearly frightened.

"Don't worry. The ghosts are really nice, as long as you don't try to steal books in the library, or try to disturb their reading," Bubbles comforted.

"But what are they doing here?" Mitch asked.

"Apparently, they didn't like us staying there at night, trying to see them again," Bubbles answered after a bit of thought.

"Well, I'm not backing down! We'll go back to that library tonight and kick their butt!" Buttercup declared. "Those ghosts will never know what hit them!"

"They're here," Blossom said, her eyes darting from side to side.

Brick chuckled. However, he stayed too long in school. His brothers might be worried. He took one last look at the classroom, and flew off.

…

* * *

He smiled as he approached the forest and their shack. He loved the place. Not the shack—but the surrounding area. It could supply all their needs if they chose not to commit crime—after all, food could be taken from all the animals living in the place, not to mention fish from the lake and birds that flew over them. But they were evil, so they would not stop doing crime.

Speaking of food, he smelled the aroma of cooked meat. Landing in front of their home, he saw a dead boar skewered with a wooden stake, and hung over a fire. He could see boar guts in a corner. He'd have to incinerate it. His youngest brother was turning the pig over the fire. It was nearly cooked, he could tell by the smoke.

"Where have you been?" Boomer asked.

"Yeah. Where'd you disappear to?" Butch added.

"Places," Brick said. "I went to spy on the Powerpuff Girls."

"So you found out anything?" the green ruff asked as he added another log to the fire.

"They still, well, Bubbles and Buttercup at least, believe that the ghosts really exists. Pinky thinks that someone's just pretending to be ghosts, but she's got no proof of that," Brick remarked.

"So what did they do?" asked Boomer, curious about his brother's whereabouts. "Did you go to their home?"

"No. I went to their school."

"You mean those sissies go to school? But why? They're powerful enough that no one can force them to attend those horrible things!" Boomer asked.

"Yeah. What's up with that? I understand the other kids. They can be forced by the adults, but the Powerpuff Girls? They really are sissies if that's true."

"It's true. And let me tell you the reason why they are so smart."

"What?" Butch asked as he inspected the boar.

"They went to school."

Both his brothers looked at him as if he was crazy. "What are you talking about?" Butch demanded.

"Calm down, bro. I went there. I listened in. Their teacher is very good. I learned so much just listening. That's why they're there."

"Are you going to say that we should go to school?" Boomer asked.

"Look, we promised to do what you say, right or wrong, but if you order us to go to school…"

Butch left the statement hanging.

"Look, I am not saying that we should be enrolled in school. I am just telling you why the girls have so much smarts and why they are very clever and why they keep beating us in fights even if we're stronger. It's because they attend school."

"So what are we going to do about it? Without going to school?" asked a skeptical middle brother.

"I'm glad you asked." Brick began as Butch prepared three knives and gave two of them to his brothers and Boomer got some plates from the inside of the shack.

Brick told them what he was doing as they ate. It was supposed to be breakfast, but it was already near the middle of the day, about eleven in the morning, that they just called it lunch.

"So that's school," Boomer said as he bit on his pork. "Sounds boring."

"Yeah. I can't imagine sitting inside a room for an entire day," Butch said before he took his own bite. "I need _violence_."

"So what are you gonna do with the paper and the pencil?" Boomer asked before he bit his food again.

"Well, I'm gonna try and solve the math problem Ms Keane gave," Brick said after he swallowed his meat.

"How are ya gonna do it?" asked Butch as he finished off his food.

"I dunno. I'll think about it later. But for now, let's talk about what we're gonna do."

"Oh no! Don't tell me we're gonna go to school!" the blue-eyed ruff asked in horror, panic creeping into his voice.

"No, but I might if you keep annoying me," the red ruff snapped before taking another bite off his meat.

…

* * *

 _ **27\. Brotherly Lessons**_

"This is boring!" Boomer complained as he sat on the floor on their shack.

"Yeah. Why do we have to do this again?" Butch asked besides his brother.

Brick, standing in front of them, stopped his lecture as he looked at the two of them.

 _Typical of them to complain._

Maybe he should not have tried teaching them some of his knowledge. After all, they were not interested in the knowledge that he was gaining day by day. Yet he promised that they would be smarter than the Powerpuff Girls. With the girls in school all the time, they would be left in the dust if Brick did not do something.

And he would do it.

Even if he had to drag his brothers kicking and screaming. He can't just have all the useful knowledge to himself.

"Look, I know you enjoyed learning," the red ruff began, "after all, you enjoyed reading in the library!"

Butch frowned. "Comic books! I love comic books and reading about supers and villains. Not this thing! Who needs to know about what happened in the last century?"

Boomer made a face. "Yeah. I like stories! Tell us stories that happened a long time ago! About dragons! And kings! And dwarfs! And sorcerers! And ghosts!"

"Look, you won't get anywhere reading only those drivel. Now, listen, and please, try to learn. Where were we? Oh yeah. Thomas Jefferson, in 1803, bought Louisiana from France…"

And he droned on. Both his brothers pretended to listen to their big brother, the only thing keeping them from bolting was Brick making an explicit order that his brothers dare not disobey.

The leader, however, soon realized that try as he might, he can't get his brothers to listen and learn from him. Oh how he wished he was like Ms Keane in teaching, making even someone not interested to listen and learn.

He finally stopped.

Boomer raised his eyebrow. "Is it over?"

Brick sighed, putting his palm over his face. "Yes, it is."

"Yeah!" Butch shouted. "Let's have some fun!"

 _At this rate, we'll never catch up with those puffs._ He had to find a way to make his brothers learn and surpass their counterparts, or else they would be doomed. And he would be doomed along with them.

…

* * *

"Why are we going here again? We're too early! Those girls are still there!"

It was seven in the evening. And they were standing just outside the walls of the library, hidden by the bushes that surrounded the place.

Brick turned and smirked at his brother. "Because, Butch, I want to see what they're going to do after the stunt I pulled! Now listen, and turn on your x-ray vision."

"About the ghosts? I hope the ghosts don't get mad. I mean, we made the girls think the ghosts went outside the lib."

"For the last time, Boom, the ghosts don't exist! But these idiots think they do!" Brick explained, but he knew that trying to reason out with Boomer was like talking to a brick wall.

He looked inside, and saw the three girls inside, at the front, and listened in.

"Okay. Since those ghosts dared to show up at school, I'm sure they'll show their faces tonight," Buttercup declared. "And when they do, I'm gonna beat them up! I'm gonna teach them a lesson about respecting the personal things of others!"

Bubbles looked at her disapprovingly. "Don't be like that, Buttercup. They just gave us a fair warning. They did those things to get our attention. It's not nice, and they shouldn't have done it, but I'm sure they didn't know it was wrong."

 _Good. Let them think that the ghosts are real! I got them spooked!_

"Look, I'm not going to argue with you about this, but for the last time, the ghosts are no ghosts at all! They're just somebody in white sheets!" Blossom argued.

 _Don't be so smart, Pinky! Believe in the Ghosts!_

"How do you explain what's been happening? Surely, if it's been someone in a sheet, they would have been caught already," Buttercup argued. "Besides, the ghosts float! They have glowing eyes! The only ones who fit that description are the Rowdyruffs! But as you said, Red, the ghosts read! They read books! And those boys are stupid and don't read, so it isn't them!"

Brick hated the Powerpuffs for looking down on the Rowdyruffs.

 _That's right. Think of us as stupid, you jerks! Think of us as knowing nothing. You will rue the day you insulted us and mocked our brains! Mark my words, Pinky, my mark works. Buttercup, mark my words, Bubbles too!_

 _And please think of us as idiots. Then you won't find out it was us all along!_

"Yeah. There's no obvious candidate. It must be a new villain in town," Blossom argued. "Someone we haven't met yet. But I'm sure it's not the actual ghosts. The ghosts are nice. All the books say that. So why hit us in the head? Besides, everyone knows that ghosts only scare, not actually hurt."

Brick signaled for his brothers that they should leave.

…

* * *

"The nerve of those lame-o girls!" Butch argued.

"To be fair, we didn't start reading books until a few weeks ago," Brick said. "And let them think that. They won't find out it's us with that attitude."

* * *

…

They returned at about 10 p.m.

"They're still here," Boomer whispered as they turned on their x-ray vision and settled on the bushes. "I hope the leave soon. I want to sleep already."

Brick merely nodded as he concentrated on the scene inside.

"HEY GHOST! SHOW YOURSELVES!" Buttercup shouted, frustration obviously evident in her voice.

"YEAH! WE WANT TO APOLOGIZE! WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS!" Bubbles shouted besides her.

Blossom, who was hunched over a book, just shook her head as she closed what she was reading and returned it to its proper place.

"It's no use. Those ghosts won't come back until we're gone. We need to go home," the pink puff said as she went beside her sisters.

"No way! Not after the stunt they pulled in class!" Buttercup retorted. "Nobody tears a page out of your notebook and gets away with it!"

"Leave it be," Pinky retorted. "Look at the time. The Professor will get mad if we stay here past our bed time."

"Besides," Bubbles said, yawning, "it's school night."

"Okay," Buttercup said, "let's go."

The boys watched as the three girls left via the front door. They saw three streaks of light in the air as the girls flew home.

"I thought they'd never leave!" Boomer said as they flew towards the third floor balcony.

"Those lame-o's are really irritating!" Brick agreed as he used his pin to unlock the balcony door.

The other two nodded as they flew in and Brick again locked the door from inside. They went to the soft couches and immediately curled up. They were asleep less than five minutes after they lay down.

Except Brick. He remained awake, fought his sleepiness and his urge to go back to the couch, and flew to the kids section. He scanned the titles and found what he was looking for.

 _Mathematics for First Graders_.

It was the exact same book that the students in Ms Keane's class used. And he began reading. He went to table, got the problems he copied from the classroom, and tried to solve them on the paper he tore from Blossom's notebook. He finished in about an hour. He was sure of his answers. Hopefully, he got it all right.

He wanted to see if he would get higher than Pinky.

He wanted to beat her in front of Ms Keane.

* * *

 _ **28\. Brothers Going to School**_

…

 _The next day, September 9, 2004, Thursday…_

Brick stood in the roof, hidden, as the bell rang and signaled to the teacher that it was time for Mathematics. He took the folded pieces of paper to see if he got the answers right, and to see if Blossom did too. More importantly, he would see who was better between the two leaders.

He was confident.

"Class, please pass your math homework," the blue eyed teacher instructed, and Brick eyed Blossom's paper and quickly noted her answers.

They had the same answers for six of ten items.

They were different in four numbers. He quickly wrote Blossom's answers besides his, and circled the Pink Puff's answers.

Ms Keane then began writing the ten problems on the board.

"Mitch Mitchelson, solve the first problem on the board," Ms Keane commanded.

Mitch groaned a bit but did as ordered.

She called nine other students to the board. Each of the three powerpuff girls were called too.

Each of the students called explained how they answered the problems.

Then Ms Keane began to correct them. Most of them got it right. Even Pinky. Three students got wrong answers on the board, including Bubbles. Buttercup got hers right. Princess was wrong. Mitch and Mike Believe got their answers right. Harry Pitt was the last one who got a wrong solution.

Brick compared his answers with that of Blossom. He got two answers wrong. Blossom got one wrong. So he got 8 out of ten. Blossom got 9.

He was still _behind_ Blossom! Even after reading that Math book! He was still behind!

 _How could I surpass her? She was ahead of me! I will be better than you, just you wait, and I will wipe out that smug look off your face!_

Of course how could he do it if refuses to enroll in school was a question that bugged him. Would he do the logical thing and become a regular student?

Never!

There were many ways of learning other than being a prisoner in this building. Yet he had to admit, being in school was a great advantage to the Powerpuffs!

He needed a way to offset it!

He could go on this course. He was sure that given enough time visiting the school clandestinely like this, he would surpass Blossom. After all, he was, as a ruff, better than her, right? He learned so fast! It was only because of the circumstance of their birth and Him's abysmal upbringing that the puffs managed to be better than the ruffs.

So his future was set. But what of his brothers? He knew that he was no teacher. The day before had taught him that. But he was determined that they would be suitably educated and knowledgeable too! They needed to be smarter than their counterparts! Boomer needed to be smarter than Bubbles. Butch's destiny was to leave Buttercup in the dust.

But how?

They cannot read anymore in the library because the girls had made a habit of camping in the library after school in order to catch the "ghosts". That "brilliant" plan of his to hit the girls while ghosts sure backfired on the ruffs!

He focused on the teacher and the students as he tried to put his mind back to what was being taught. If only his brothers were with him, then they could learn too. If only…

His eyes brightened. He had the answer!

* * *

…

 _The next day, September 10, 2004, Friday…_

"What?" Butch asked, his mouth agape, when he heard his brother's decision. It was a few minutes until eight in the morning.

"You heard me," Brick said, "I think I made myself perfectly clear."

"I heard you, but I still can't believe it!" the green eyed ruff replied. "You said we won't attend school!"

"And we won't! We're going to the school building, and learn by listening. We're not actually going to enroll in that blasted thing," said his leader.

Butch scowled. "It' the same goose."

The redhead insisted. "It isn't. We'll just be hanging out! We can leave whenever we decide to! Unlike those who attend class. They can only leave when the bell rings, and when the teacher decides they could leave. We? We'll just leave when we want, and skip learning what we don't need!"

"So how is it?"

Both his older brothers look at the blond boy.

"Boom, stop being stupid and speak clearly."

"School. How is it? Is it fun?"

"Fun? If you want to know, yeah I guess it's fun. Pinky sure enjoyed it, as did Bubbles, some of the time," Brick said.

"Did they do anything else other than listen and do problems?"

"Well, sometimes, they draw."

Boomer's interest was piqued. "Draw? Draw what?"

"Pictures, landscapes, people, anything the teacher tells them to draw," he said, "but it's mostly boring stuff. Even Pinky finds it boring, and Buttercup too. Your Princess was the only one who seemed to like to draw."

"Princess?"

"Yeah. Big Bad Wolf, Ogre, Princess?"

"Oh! You mean Bubbles!"

"Speaking of Princess, there's another girl actually called Princess. Princess Morbucks. You remember her, of course! She's the stupid curly haired girl who thinks she should be a Rowdyruff."

"She's silly thinking she can be Rowdyruff Boy!" Boomer agreed.

"Well?" Butch asked.

"Well what?"

"Still insist we should go?"

"Yes. An order, Butch, Boomer."

"I don't like it! But an order's an order! Lead on, leader boy!"

He nodded, and he flew, beckoning his brothers to follow him.

"Remember, hide yourself. We don't want trouble, okay?" Brick instructed as they flew.

"Yeah. We'll hide ourselves," Butch assured, with a wicked smirk forming on his face.

The three boys flew high, and when they were above the school, flew down as fast as they could to minimize any chances of being spotted.

Brick smiled as he thought of his plan. It was perfect. His brothers would learn, they would assert their natural superiority over the girls, they would beat the puffs in a fair fight, and the natural order would again be restored!

He looked at the direction of the classroom, and turned on his x-ray vision. His brothers did the same as they saw Ms Keane enter and began the lessons.

The leader of the Rowdyruffs observed his brothers. They were listening. Good. He knew Ms Keane would have that effect on them. He was sure they were learning too.

Learning.

Brick loved learning.

He was sure that they, being his brothers, would love it too. And they would just listen, and do nothing that would get them in trouble.

How wrong he was.

* * *

 _ **29\. Burning Pranks**_

He was watching Ms Keane write something on the board. All eyes were on her, when there was a scream. Brick looked at the source, and to his astonishment, an empty seat, at the very back of the classroom, was on fire.

He looked at both his brothers, and he could see a mischievous smile on his blue eyed brother's lips.

"What?" Brick demanded. "Didn't I tell you—"

"Nobody would know," Boomer said, chuckling.

 _I'm gonna kill you if they discover us!_

There was the start of panic. Unfortunately, Pinky ended it by blowing the burning chair and covering it with ice.

Wait! When did she get that power? Ice coming from her mouth? That was a cool, pun intended. So his middle brother had his shield. His dumb blond of a brother had his bat. The blonde puff had her screech. And Pinky had her ice whatever it was they called it. What was his special power? He was a little jealous of the others when he realized that.

"Calm down, the fire's out," said Ms Keane.

"Don't worry Ms Keane. Lessons could continue since the situation is taken care of," Blossom said, her eyes suspiciously looking at Buttercup. "No need to suspend classes."

There was a collective groan from the class.

"I'm sure it's the Powerpuff's fault! Anyone of you could have zapped that chair!" Princess Morbucks accused, looking at the three puffs, and at Buttercup in particular.

"Princess, do you have proof? Don't just accuse someone just because you don't like them!" Ms Keane admonished.

"But isn't it obvious? Who else could have burned that chair that easily while we're looking at you, Ms Keane, and while you were looking at the board?" the spoiled heiress argued.

"True, but that isn't proof," Ms Keane said. "Now girls, none of you turned around and burned the chair while no one is looking, right?"

Blossom denied the charge. "How could we? I am seated at front, and Bubbles at the middle. Somebody would have seen us if we tried it."

"Yeah, but Buttercup's at the very back. The burnt chair is behind her. Nobody could have seen her do it," Princess, who was in the middle, charged, looking at the green puff at the back. "Mitch, you're sitting next to her. Did you see her do it?"

"What? Me?" Mitch said as all eyes were on him. "No. I was looking at Ms Keane. I didn't notice Buttercup do anything."

"But Mitch," Princess said, with a grin in her face, "are you sure Buttercup couldn't have turned her head for one second and eyebeamed the chair?"

"Um, no, but—"

"Did you have your eyes on her every single second?" asked the heiress.

"No."

"Were you looking at her when it was burned?"

"No. I was looking at Ms Keane and the board, and then I heard Harry Pitt shout that the chair's on fire!"

The rest of the kids looked at the green puff as if she did it.

"Buttercup, did you do it?" Ms Keane asked.

"No, I didn't," said the green eyed puff. "I didn't look behind me! Look, the door to the balcony is open! Someone could have done it from outside!"

"We're on the second floor!" Mitch Mitchelson said, grinning. "Unless they can fly, there's no way anyone could have fired on the chair. And there's no one on the balcony. I'll even check if Ms Keane would allow me."

"Go ahead."

The brown haired boy went to the balcony, walked around, and came back. "Nothing."

"Besides," Princess continued, "that chair doesn't burn easily. There wasn't any gas, or anything that could make it burn that quickly. The only thing that could are your powers!"

"So Buttercup did it!" Mitch Mitchelson concluded, a grin gracing his face at the prospect of Buttercup being in trouble.

"I didn't do it!" Buttercup insisted frantically.

Brick smiled as he watched the scene. Maybe Boomer's idea wasn't so bad after all.

"Look class, we don't know what caused the fire," said Ms Keane, "So we'll have to conduct an investigation, and—"

Something rang. Brick looked at the source of the sound. For the first time, he noticed that there was a phone with a smiling face, colored white and red.

"The Powerpuff Hotline!" a random student shouted, pointing at it.

 _So that's what that ugly thing is called!_

"Yes we know, idiot!" Mitch Mitchelson said, hitting him in the head.

"But it's my first time to see it! I wasn't with you in kindergarten!" the student whined.

"Hello Mayor?" Pinky said, grabbing the phone. "A bank robbery? The Townsville National Bank? We're on our way. Ms Keane—"

"Go on, girls, I know," Ms Keane said, waving her hand and dismissing them.

"Thanks! Let's go girls!" Blossom commanded, the three girls flying out through the balcony. The balcony had high railings to keep a normal kid from falling.

 _It looks like it was made for those stupid Powerpuff Girls. Oh my! They might see us!_

Luckily, the girls did not bother to turn and look back as they flew to the city. They would have seen the three boys if they did so. Brick was relieved as he watched the girls disappear into the city, while keeping his ears on the classroom below.

"Look Ms Keane, just because they are the Powerpuff Girls, doesn't mean that they could just get away with burning chairs!" Princess Morbucks argued.

"Buttercup did not burn that chair! She's a good girl!" a girl with brown hair argued.

"Easy for you to say, Robyn Snyder! You're friends with them!" Princess shot back.

"And easy for you to say she did it! You're enemies!" Robyn retorted.

The bell rang, and it was recess. Brick motioned for his brothers to hide somewhere else.

"Where?" Butch asked.

Brick wondered, and saw a cloud above them. "Up there."

"Why there?"

"Those girls would be back, and we're gonna be the first thing they see if we stay here," Brick explained.

The three flew up and hid on the low lying clouds, about 500 feet above the school. Their superhearing could still hear the loudest sounds of the school. They also used their telescopic vision, a power they accidentally discovered while practicing their x-ray vision. It was really useful for long distance spying. Sadly, it can't be combined with the x-ray vision. It would so awesomely and ridiculously overpowered if that were so.

* * *

 _ **30\. Mice in the Sky**_

Brick himself looked at the direction of the city, where he kept a lookout for the Powerpuff Girls. He glanced at Boomer at his side, and he was holding…

A mouse?

"Boomer, what are you?" Brick asked.

"Just look," Boomer said, and with a precise aim, threw it on the playground.

It landed on the head of the Morbucks girl.

And survived.

They could just hear the loud scream, the laughter of the other kids, and they could observe the redheaded heiress ran around as the mouse ran under her uniform.

Boomer was one mischievous fellow, Brick noted. First the chair, and now this? But he enjoyed it too much to scold him for it. In fact, he gave a friendly slap on his blond brother's back for this delightful entertainment.

"That was really really cool, Boom!" Brick said.

"Yeah! Didn't know you had it in you! And the chair! I thought it was lame! But then, look at what happened to Butters!" Butch said, with a sick grin, giving a friendly punch on his baby brother's shoulder.

The arrival of the Powerpuff Girls did not help matters, as Buttercup promptly laughed along, with Bubbles trying to stifle her laughter, but in the end succumbed. Blossom tried the longest, but laughed too.

In the clouds above, the boys finally laughed too, loud. Brick figured out that there was no reason for the girls to be using their superhearing, and even if they were using it, they had no reason to direct it high above the playground, into the clouds. In fact, none of the Powerpuffs even looked at the clouds. They were too busy laughing at Princess.

...

* * *

Recess ended, the kids returned to their classrooms, and the boys resumed their places on the roof, spying, and learning. Brick hoped that Butch and Boomer were learning. After all, that's the entire purpose of the exercise.

Immediately, he noticed something. Or rather smelled something.

Princess Morbucks reeked of rat pee. She could be seen grabbing her things, and ran screaming, mad and embarrassed, to the side of the road.

"I don't know how, and I don't know why, but you, Powerpuff Girls, are behind this!" Princess shouted.

Her limo arrived, and she got in.

The three boys struggled really hard to contain their laughter, and the kids in the classroom, having no such inhibition, were laughing uncontrollably. Princess Morbucks would never live this down.

"Calm down class," said Ms Keane. "It's not her fault a rat just landed on her head."

"Hey, Buttercup, you did it, right?" Mitch asked. "After all, how else could a rat just land on her head?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "That's cool! You really showed her! Nobody accuses you of burning a chair and gets away with it!"

Buttercup opened her mouth and said, "yeah, nobody gets away with it!"

"Buttercup!" Blossom gasped.

"Well, nobody does!" she smugly said.

 _So Buttercup isn't above taking credit for someone else's work! Interesting!_

"Buttercup, did you?" asked Ms Keane.

"No Ms Keane, I did not," she said, but in a tone that communicated to her classmates that she said it merely to avoid trouble, a tone Blossom was perfectly familiar with.

"As for the chair, we really haven't made any progress," Ms Keane continued. "I've asked the school staff if it's possible to climb up and light a fire on the chair while nobody notices, and they all said it was impossible. Unless you could fly."

The class looked at Buttercup.

"I didn't do it!" she said, this time with conviction.

"I'm not saying you did," said Ms Keane. "The investigation isn't over yet."

Brick's smirk grew. It wasn't over, but they won't find out it was his brother! Boomer finally used that head of his!

Ms Keane resumed her lessons, teaching geography.

* * *

…

The boys stayed on the roof until noon, when they left to have lunch. They did not return in the afternoon, since Brick decided that the afternoon was their "fun" time. After all, what's the point in having the freedom to leave when they please if they would stay all day at school and only leave when the regular students leave too?

"Man, class could be so much fun!" Boomer admitted as they ate their stolen pizza at their shack. "But only if you're not part of it!"

Brick nodded.

"Fooey! I want to beat them all up for being weaklings!" Butch ranted.

"Me too. But we'd be found," Brick argued as they ate some fries, also stolen from a local restaurant.

"So what? We'll beat them up!" the green eyed ruff grumbled.

"So tomorrow, we'll go back," Brick stated, ignoring the middle brother's last word.

Both brothers did not make any objections, to the eldest ruff's relief. At least he was able to change their minds just a bit.

"And Boom, be careful. We don't want to be caught, okay?"

"Don't worry big bro, I ain't letting us be caught!" the blond assured.

* * *

 _ **31\. New Mysteries**_

…

Blossom had a lot on her mind as they flew home from school. Like, what really happened to the chair? She had a new mystery to untangle, and the prime suspect was her own sister! She frowned. She not only had to unmask the so-called ghosts, but she also had to save her sister!

Even as her classmates said that she's innocent, their eyes said something different. Even Ms Keane. They all silently accused Buttercup.

"Look, I didn't do it!" her middle sister said as they landed on the front porch of the house.

Blossom agreed. "I know."

"You don't believe me," she retorted as they went up to their room.

"We do!" Bubbles said. "You're too good to play such a trick. PROFESSOR! WE'RE HOME!"

"But they think I did it!" Buttercup said as they changed from their uniforms to their usual matching dresses. "Don't get me wrong, it was cool! But I didn't do it!"

"Yes, but if it's not you, then who?" Blossom asked as the Professor came to their room. The girls were already fully changed by that time.

"Hello, Professor."

"Hello, my little girls. How was school?"

"Fine. Listen, we would like to spend time again in the library," Blossom said, "at the usual time."

"Do you have to, Blossom?" asked the Professor, worry still evident in his voice. "After all, those ghosts can hurt you."

"They can, but so can other villains," Buttercup retorted.

"And they won't hurt us if they knew we won't do anything bad like disturb them," Bubbles added.

His black eyes scanned his girls lovingly, and a frown formed in his face. "What's the matter, girls?"

"Oh nothing's the matter," Buttercup said.

Blossom and Bubbles, unable to directly lie, just kept silent.

"Buttercup?" he said in a tone that told them he knew something was up.

"Well, Professor, everyone in school thinks I burned the chair at the back!" she grumbled.

"Yeah Professor!" Bubbles spoke. "We heard a scream, and we all looked back, and the chair behind Buttercup was in flames!"

"And they all think I did it! Princess even told me to my face!" she mumbled.

"Now why would they think that? Didn't anybody see what happened?" asked the Professor.

"That's just it! She was sitting at the back, everyone is looking at the board and on Ms Keane, Ms Keane herself was writing something on the board, and then we smelled something burning. I was able to put it out with my ice breathe, but the chair was ashes by then," said Blossom. "Nothing could have burned that chair that fast, unless someone was using laser."

"But that chair, if I could remember, was next to an open balcony! You know that balcony was specially made for you girls in case of an emergency," the Professor said. "Couldn't someone climb and burn the chair while no one's looking?"

"But that's just it! The railing around the balcony, at least the outer part, had vines with thorns! And no one could have climbed it, and burned that chair that fast. At least not someone who's normal," Blossom argued. "It could be a villain. But it's not their style! They'd just barge in and attack us head on!"

"Well, how about Him? It could be a trick from the devil himself," the Professor opined.

"If it was Him, he would've made his presence known. He likes to play tricks on us, but he'd want us to know that he did it," Blossom argued.

The phone rang.

"Excuse me, girls," he said, and left their room. The girls heard him go down and pick up the phone. They followed him downstairs, to the living room.

"Hello Ms Keane. Yeah, she told me. So what did the investigation tell you? Laser? That couldn't be! So Buttercup… No! It can't be! Well, I'm glad there's no firm conclusion yet. Thanks."

"Well?" asked Blossom.

"According to the investigation, it was laser that burned the chair. A lighter or a match couldn't have started a fire and burned it that fast that completely," said the Professor. "And there was no trace of anyone climbing the wall during that time. So the only suspect is…"

He stopped.

"Me," Buttercup said.

"Well, they haven't made any firm conclusion yet."

"But I'm sure they saw some villains flying around the vicinity," Blossom argued.

"No. Nobody saw anyone flying around," said the Professor.

"It's not me! Why would I burn the stupid chair?" asked the green puff.

"I know you didn't. You can't do it," said the Professor. "The investigation isn't over. I'm sure we can find out what really happened."

"Don't worry, Buttercup," said Bubbles, hugging her sister, "I'm sure we'll find out who really did it."

"Well, I sure hope so. Wait. Do you think it could be, you know, the ghosts of Townsville Library? I mean, they did write that message on your notebook, Blossom," Buttercup said.

"The ghosts? No way! They don't play mean tricks! They just issue warnings," said Bubbles, "and they won't hurt anyone who isn't disturbing them! It isn't the ghosts!"

After that, the Professor went down to begin preparing dinner.

* * *

…

"Why do we have to spend time in this place again?" asked Buttercup as they stood in the library. It was seven in the evening, and they had just eaten dinner at home.

Blossom sighed. Typical for Buttercup to whine about doing their job if it did not involve violence.

"We want to catch the ghosts," the redhead explained.

"But we've been doing this for the last hundred years, and we still haven't caught them!" the green eyed puff ranted.

"Patience, Buttercup. The one who is most patient, not the one who's rash, will get her quarry," Blossom said. "We'll get the ghosts."

"And then we can apologize to them for disturbing their reading!" Bubbles said.

 _How can she still believe the "ghosts" were nice after they hit her in the head?_

"Yeah. Yeah," Blossom said. "In the meantime, let's do our homework."

The three girls, had, as usual, brought their bags. They settled on the chairs and tables as if they were back in kindergarten, and began doing their work.

"I hope those ghosts show up early so we have an excuse not to do our homework," Buttercup mumbled as she opened her book to the page assigned by her teacher.

They sat on the couches of the elementary section, waiting for something to happen. In the meantime, they did their homework, or read to entertain themselves.

Unfortunately, the ghosts didn't make an appearance that night. Blossom was again disappointed, but that did not discourage her.

 _Patience, Blossom. One day, those so-called ghosts will make a mistake. And then… And then… They would pay. Just like the person who actually burned the chair, and the one who threw the mouse on Princess' head, though she did deserve it. Well, it's the principle of the thing. Whoever did it must say sorry. Speaking of which, why did my sister…_

…

* * *

"Buttercup, why did you tell them that it was you who threw that mouse?" asked Blossom as they flew home.

"Yeah. We were with you the entire time, and you didn't throw any mouse," Bubbles added.

"I didn't say that I threw it!" Buttercup defended with a smirk on her face, chuckling at the memory.

"Mitch asked you if you threw it, and you said Princess deserved it!"

"I'm telling the truth! She did deserve it!" Buttercup defended.

"You didn't deny it either!" the puff leader shot back.

Buttercup laughed. "Oh I did when Ms Keane asked."

"Everybody thinks you did it just to stay out of trouble," Blossom retorted, "especially with the way you said it."

"It's not my fault my words were misinterpreted by others," said Buttercup.

"Yeah, like they misinterpreted it when you denied burning the chair!"

Buttercup flew in front of Blossom and stopped. "That's different."

"How?"

"Because I really didn't burn that stupid chair."

"And you really didn't throw that mouse on her head."

"Stop it, okay? Princess deserved it! Who actually threw the mouse doesn't matter!" Buttercup sneered before flying home.

Blossom wanted to argue, but decided to hold her tongue. She was already sleepy, and was not ready for another shouting match.

…

* * *

 _ **32\. Harry Pitt in Trouble**_

 _September 13, 2004, Monday…_

The day started like any other day. The Powerpuffs were at school, listening to Ms Keane as she spoke in front. The chair that was burnt was replaced, and there was no word spoken about the incident. The perpetrator had not yet been caught. Harry Pitt exchanged places with Mitch Mitchelson, since Buttercup was still not happy that Mitch helped "incriminate" her regarding the burning chair by his "investigation".

It was the third subject of the day.

Mathematics.

"Okay class, today, we're going to learn what are odd and even numbers," she spoke.

Blossom, of course, already knew what Ms Keane was talking about. She already read about it before. Listening to her teacher was like playing a recording of her book. It was almost identical, but not quite. Ms Keane had a way of teaching that makes even things that she already knew quite interesting, and she as a result, looked forward to her lessons even more. It not only reinforced her knowledge, but entertained her too.

And when the teacher asked questions, she would always be the first to raise her hand. Ms Keane needed to know that she always read her lessons, always followed her instructions, always does her homework, always volunteered for anything asked. The others said that she was a teachers' pet and a nerd. She doesn't care. She's the brightest, and the leader. As a leader, she _needed_ to be the smartest and be the most responsible one.

She _was_ the smartest and the most responsible one.

And she knew it too.

And she would be _the_ role model to little kids everywhere.

What kind of role model would she be if she wasn't perfect? Or if she did not have the highest grades? Or if she doesn't do everything right?

Of course, she's not perfect, literally. She's allowed her little foibles. After all, even the greatest men and women have their own little faults.

Right now, she's listening to the teacher's lecture as if it was music. It was so soothing as knowledge entered her brain and further increased her intelligence.

So she got irritated when something interrupted her lessons. Like a shout from the back. And a flash of bright light that necessitated Ms Keane stopping her teaching to deal with the new problem.

Again, it happened when Ms Keane was writing something on the board. Thus, she did not see what happened.

Blossom looked at the back.

 _Oh for the love of …._

There was a little smoke surrounding Harry Pitt. There were burnt marks on him, but curiously, he was not hurt at all.

"Girls!" Blossom shouted. She turned to the teacher. "Ms Keane?"

"Go ahead, girls," she said, giving permission.

The three Powerpuffs quickly flew out of the room, through the balcony, ready to face whatever villain that tried to attack the students. And they found…

Nothing.

They looked around, on the grounds, on the roof, and there's no sign of anyone or anything villainous. They asked the groundskeeper, and he saw nothing.

They looked around the sky, and they saw nothing under the low-lying thick autumn clouds.

"What? Again?" Buttercup asked, aghast.

"Whoever tried that sure is sneaky," Blossom concluded as they returned to the classroom.

"Well girls? Who did it?" asked Ms Keane.

"Where's Harry?" Bubbles asked.

"He's in the clinic," said Mike Believe.

"We didn't catch, or for that matter, even see, who did it," Blossom replied, answering their teacher's question. "Nothing. No sign at all."

"Buttercup did it!" Princess Morbucks accused.

"Princess!" Ms Keane scolded.

"But Harry was hit by a laser ball from Buttercup's direction," Princess argued. "And nobody else saw what really happened. We all had our eyes in front! Even Harry didn't see that it wasn't Buttercup. He felt it came from his left side! And who was on his left? Buttercup!"

"Buttercup, did you notice anything?" asked Ms Keane.

"I didn't! I only knew what happened when I saw the flash and smoke!" she defended.

"Anybody else see what Buttercup was doing at that exact moment?" Mitch asked.

Nobody raised their hand. Buttercup and Harry, after all, were at the back.

"I didn't do it! I was framed!" Buttercup shouted frantically. "And nobody saw me do it!"

"Who else could have made a laser ball and threw it at him?" asked Princess. "Blossom was at the very front, and everyone saw her, so it wasn't her. Bubbles was at the middle. You were at the very back. Nobody saw what you were doing."

"Exactly! Nobody _saw me do it_!" the green puff retorted.

"So you admit nobody saw you do it?" Princess repeated.

"Yeah, _nobody saw me do it_!"

"So you did do it! You admitted it!" Mitch Mitchelson jumped, pointing an accusing finger at the puff. "You did it but you're just boasting that nobody saw you did it!"

"What? Don't twist my words!" Buttercup shouted.

"Class! Let's settle this. Buttercup, did you form that laser ball and hit Harry with it?" asked Ms Keane.

"No. I did not. I was listening to you, Ms Keane," Buttercup explained.

"Listen, Buttercup did not do it!" Blossom nearly shouted. "She's a powerpuff girl! She can't do it!"

"Yeah! Buttercup is the nicest girl ever!" Bubbles defended. "She could not have done it!"

"Well, if not Buttercup, then who? It's only she who could've done it!" Princess Morbucks shouted.

"Yeah. Buttercup, admit it!" Mitch Mitchelson added in support.

Blossom shook her head. Again, something that they can't explain happened in class. And again, Buttercup was the one everyone suspects. Why do these things keep happening to her?

"I didn't do it!" she growled. "And if anyone tries to say I did it, I'm gonna kick your butt!"

"Yeah, that's a sure sign you're innocent," Princess bitingly remarked.

"Look class, I'm sure there's a perfectly rational explanation for all of this. And we just can't blame her without proof. Just because she has powers doesn't mean that she's automatically to blame," Ms Keane lectured, taking control of the situation. "Don't worry. An investigation will happen, and we're going to find out what really happened."

"If that investigation if halfway competent, then it'll find the obvious! It's Buttercup!" Princess Morbucks stated.

The spoiled heiress suddenly found her yellow sweatshirt being grabbed by Buttercup's left hand. The puff's right hand was raised in a threatening manner. "Say that again and I'll sock you in the eye!"

"Buttercup, put Princess down!" Ms Keane admonished. "Princess, apologize to Buttercup for accusing her. Buttercup, apologize to Princess."

"Oh I'm so sorry, Buttercup," Princess manage to say as soon as Buttercup let go. It was clear, however, to everyone, that it was not sincere.

"I apologize," Buttercup mumbled, also not sincere.

* * *

 _ **33\. Busted!**_

The bell rang and cut the tension as the students went to the playground.

The puff leader put a hand on her middle sister's shoulder. "It's okay. We know you didn't do it."

"I know. If only the rest of them believed me too," she grumbled as they walked to the playground.

"They do. It's only Mitch and Princess," Bubbles said.

"Don't make any excuses for them, Bubbles," Buttercup growled. She looked around. "Where's Mitch and Princess?"

The pink powerpuff looked around and saw no sign of the two. "I think you might have scared off those two."

"Aw c'mon Buttercup! They really don't believe you did it," Bubbles reasoned as they settled under a tree on the playground. "And Mitch and Princess were only teasing."

"It doesn't matter," the green eyed powerpuff remarked, "they still accused me in front of our class! And you know what? If I were the other kids, and I don't know me, I would've believed those two too! I mean, who else could've done it but me?"

"Did you?" Bubbles asked.

"Of course not, stupid!" Buttercup remarked. "My God Bubbles, you're becoming as dumb as those Rowdyruffs!"

"We know you didn't do it," said Blossom. "But the question is who—"

Suddenly, she felt a tiny pair of feet land on her head, then crawl down her long hair. Then she remembered what happened to Princess Morbucks. The mouse. The pee. The smell.

She screamed. "A MOUSE! A MOUSE!" she said as she ran around, trying to get whatever it was on her out of her hair. She can feel it crawling on her neck to her shoulder and it only made it worse.

"There, there," Bubbles said, and suddenly, whatever it was that was crawling all over Blossom was gone. And she could see it was in Bubbles' hand. She was stroking its head, and the creature responded positively.

It was a squirrel.

The leader of the Powerpuffs breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't a mouse.

She looked around, and a crowd of students had gathered around them.

"Buttercup, did you do that?" asked Mike Believe.

"No. How could I? I was besides her all the time! The stupid creature fell out of the tree. That's all."

"Wait. It wasn't?" Bubbles said as she listened to the sounds made the squirrel. "You just didn't fall? What happened?"

"Bubbles?" Blossom asked as she turned to her sister.

"So someone threw you to the tree, so you would fall on her head? Who threw you?"

Blossom's, and for that matter, Buttercup's attention, was on their squirrel speaking baby sister.

"A boy? What did he look like? Blond with blue eyes? They were three? What did the other two look like? Red hair. Red eyes. The other has black hair, and green eyes. Where are they? In the school building. Hiding in the janitor's closet."

"Girls, I think—"

"It's the Rowdyruff Boys," Blossom whispered. "Let's flush them out."

"Thanks Mr Squirrel," Bubbles said, letting the creature go. "Let's get 'em!"

The three girls approached the building. The redhead leader noticed the tiny window of the janitor's closet. Normally, small kids could not reach the window, but if they could float…

"COME OUT, ROWDYRUFFS! WE KNOW YOU'RE THERE!" Blossom shouted, and for good measure, turned on her x-ray vision. It confirmed the squirrel's tale. She saw them.

"YEAH! I COULD TALK TO SQUIRRELS!" Bubbles shouted, "SO WE KNOW IT'S YOU!"

The three boys quickly exited through the tiny window, one by one. It was big enough to just fit one ruff.

"Great, Boomer!" Brick said as they floated, facing the girls.

"How should I know she could speak to animals?" Boomer defended as he assumed a defensive position.

Butch was twitching, excitement showing in his features, as he prepared for a fight.

"So it's you! I should've known that only trouble makers like you can play such a dirty trick," Blossom said.

Brick smirked. "Don't be too angry! It was really funny how you reacted, Pinky! Shouting and running around like a lame-o idiot!"

"Were you the ones who burned the chair and blasted Harry?" Buttercup asked.

Boomer proudly smiled. "I did it! And it was so fun! And you couldn't figure it out that it was me all along!"

 _So it was them. Of course, only they could create laser like us! Wait. What about the message from the ghost? Did they write on my notebook too?_

"And I guess you're the one who tore my notebook, and wrote those words about the ghost," Blossom asked.

Brick made a bewildered face. "Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't tear any notebook."

Blossom knew it! It can't be them! The ghosts were reading. The boys don't read. One more test should confirm it.

"Hey Brick, what's the capital of France?"

"Huh? What's a prans? And what's the meaning of capital?" asked the rowdyruff leader in an ignorant manner, which caused Bubbles and Buttercup to chuckle.

She knew it! Those that tore her notebook, the ones who pretended to be ghosts, were not them. Impossible! They were reading a geography book in the library! The so-called ghosts were not the same creeps that burned the chair behind Buttercup and attacked Harry.

"You are going to pay for framing Buttercup!" Blossom proclaimed.

"Boys, stand your ground, but remember what I told you," Brick said, eliciting a frown from Butch and a smile from Boomer.

"Do we have to? I want to stay and kick their ass," the green ruff whined.

"Yes. On my signal."

"Whatever it is you're planning, don't bother! We'll kick your butt and make you pay for making a fool out of me!" Buttercup, raring to fight, shouted. She, at last, had been vindicated.

Then Blossom heard the hotline ring and her heart sank.

Ms Keane appeared on the balcony of their classroom. "Girls! The mayor called! There's a monster attacking the city."

"Oh my God," Blossom said, worried that they might not be able to fight both monster and the Rowdyruffs. Well, scratch that. They can fight, but they will lose if they tried to fight both at the same time.

She looked at her counterpart. His red eyes suddenly brightened as soon as he heard the news and a huge grin formed on his face.

 _One day, Ruff! One day! Your luck will run out!_

"See ya later, babe!" he shouted, and said, "Now!"

Brick, followed by his brothers, flew as fast as possible, in the opposite direction of the city.

"Hey, come back here, cowards!" Buttercup shouted, wanting to chase them. "Fight us!"

"Not now, Buttercup! We have to save the city!"

"But I want to teach them a lesson!" she grumbled.

"Me too. They really need a spanking. But we can't do that without taking care of the city first!" Blossom reasoned. "And we can't split up. That's a recipe for disaster against the boys! Let's go!"

Buttercup nodded, and the three Powerpuffs headed towards the city.

* * *

 _ **34\. The Green Fury**_

"Let's do this fast, and let's find those stupid Rowdyruffs!" she shouted as she flew as fast as possible.

The monster was a typical giant lizard from Monster Island. It was already rampaging on the beach and was headed towards the central business district. It was colored green, with scales, and three horns, two over its eyes, and one on its nose.

"Buttercup, Bubbles, let's do the plan—" Blossom ordered, but her little green eyed sister did not listen.

"Screw all plans!" Buttercup shouted as she dove, head first, into the monster at the neck. She ripped through it like hot knife through butter, ripping apart its throat and killing it in the process, and decapitating it too for good measure. She threw the head to the sea, and picked up the body and threw it to the sea too.

"Buttercup—" Blossom began.

"Enough talk. Let's go after those Rowdyruff Boys!" she shouted.

So that's why Buttercup was so reckless. She wanted to get the monster fight over with so she can get on with what she really wished—kicking the boys' butt and teaching them a lesson about messing with her.

She flew as fast as she could, her sisters trailing her, stopping over the school.

"Where are they?" she asked in a low and deadly tone.

"Don't you remember? They flew that way, away from the city!" Bubbles said when she caught up.

The green puff, without a word, flew off in that direction.

"Wait, Buttercup, we don't know—" Blossom began, but it was too late. She shook her head and sighed. She could not blame her sister, but she was not thinking.

"I'm gonna wreck them! I'm gonna kick their hides to kingdom come! I'm gonna break every bone in their stupid bodies! Nobody does that to me and gets away with it!" she shouted as she flew in rage.

However, try as she might, she cannot see any of the boys.

"ROWDYRUFF BOYS! YOU HEAR ME!" she shouted as they were over Farmsville. "I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING SOMEWHERE! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, SHOW YOURSELVES, OR BE BRANDED COWARDS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES!"

What was her sister trying to do? Did she even notice the Rowdyruffs?

"Buttercup, you're not even sure they're here. They can't possibly hear you!" Blossom scolded.

" **I don't care! I want to fight them**!" she shouted, and flew back to the city, where Stanley Whitfield, before a camera, was reporting on the rampage of the latest monster.

"And thanks to the Powerpuff Girls, the day—" he began, but was interrupted as Buttercup grabbed the microphone.

What was she up to now?

"Buttercup, that's rude!" Blossom said, folding her hands in front of her.

"Rowdyruff Boys, listen to me! I am challenging you to a fight! Meet us above Mojo Jojo's observatory at four p.m. Be there or be forever branded a coward," she said to the camera, then gave back the microphone to Stanley Whitfield.

 _That's crazy! Buttercup, you didn't even consult me! This involves me and Bubbles too!_

The angry and toughest puff flew back to school, followed by her sisters.

"Are you nuts?" Blossom scolded was they flew back.

"I am. So what? I want to lay my hands on them and beat them to an inch of their lives!" she said.

"But we're not sure we can even beat them!" Blossom argued. "We're too evenly matched! They can win. And then what will happen?"

" _I don't care._ We'll win, and we will _beat them up_!" Buttercup said as they landed on the campus.

Fortunately, the bell rang just as they landed on the grounds, signaling an end to recess. They shuffled into their classrooms, where they explained to their teacher that it was the Rowdyruff Boys who were responsible for the burning of the chair and Harry Pitt being hit by a laser ball. Harry was perfectly okay, and he was back in the classroom without a scratch on his body.

Buttercup was utterly vindicated. Blossom was glad, though she was peeved that she acted so recklessly. She was dreading the coming battle with the Rowdyruffs, and she kept thinking of tactics and strategies to beat the boys.

* * *

…

"Where are they?" Buttercup muttered as they floated above the laboratory of Mojo Jojo.

It was four p.m.

Blossom too was a bit impatient. She finally sketched in her mind a plan to deal with their counterparts. She hoped it would work.

No, she _knew_ it would work.

She too was angry at them. First of all, they interrupted classes. And they had the temerity to frame Buttercup! Then of course, she was humiliated when she ran around the grounds thinking there was a mouse on her hair! Thank God for Bubbles!

And if Bubbles had not talked to that squirrel, they would never have discovered the truth, and Buttercup would still be suspected.

 _Come on, you stupid Rowdyruffs! Show yourself! Don't be afraid! Don't be cowards! My plan is perfect! You can't possibly win this one._

"See any sign of them, Bubbles?" the leader asked.

"No sign," Bubbles whispered as she scanned the sky.

"I'm gonna pound them when they arrive!" Buttercup ranted as she stretched and prepared herself for the coming fight.

* * *

…

It was five in the afternoon.

"Where are they?" asked Buttercup. "They're late."

"I don't know," said Blossom, sitting on top of the laboratory, still going over her battle plans in her head. This was probably the first time she had an entire day to plan just one battle with the Rowdyruffs. She was not going to fail!

"They're not going to show up!" Bubbles said as she floated higher.

"They're gonna show up. If it's one thing the boys like, it's a good fight," Buttercup replied.

…

* * *

It was six in the evening.

" **Those cowards! Those stupid fraidy cats! Those chickens**!" Buttercup shouted as she waited for her enemies.

"Be patient. Maybe they haven't watched the evening news? I'm sure they'll come here once they learn of your challenge," Bubbles said.

Blossom was deep in thought. Although it was not unwelcome as it would give her time to refine her battle plan, the boys should've been there. After all, it would have been broadcasted all over town on the six p.m. evening news.

 _Wait! Six p.m. evening news?_

"Your challenge on TV won't be watched by anyone until the evening news, you know, and it won't air until six p.m.," Blossom said. "You made a mistake."

"Mistake?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah. You said that they should meet us here at four in the afternoon, but that challenge won't air until six in the evening," the pink puff explained. "Unless they can travel back in time, there's no way they can meet us on time."

"Oh my," Buttercup exclaimed, feeling utterly stupid, as she smacked her own face. She was too angry and hotheaded to think clearly when she made that announcement on TV.

"Let's wait an hour and see if they show up," the leader said.

* * *

…

It was seven in the evening.

"They're not going to fight us," said Buttercup, bitter and disappointed.

The pink leader agreed. Where were the boys? Why did they suddenly become cowards? Or did they develop some kind of common sense? Or maybe, they decided not to bother since that would involve time travel? After all, Buttercup issued that challenge for four in the afternoon.

She finally decided to go to their home and confront them there. That way, they will know that they can't hide from the wrath of the Powerpuff Girls. "Let's go to Fuzzy's shack!"

"Yeah. Let's fight them in their own turf!" the green puff explained.

"You've been to their shack, Bubbles! Lead the way!" the redhead commanded.

"We'll teach those boys not to be mean!" Bubbles said as she flew, her sisters right behind her.

The three girls flew to the forest, into the shack of the Rowdyruffs.

"Hey Rowdyruffs! DON'T HIDE, YOU COWARDS!" Buttercup shouted as she barged in and saw…

An empty house.

"The boys aren't here," she said, defeated.

"Maybe they're around here somewhere," Blossom said, turning on her x-ray vision and scanning the area. She found nothing. How would the boys know that they were coming? She looked around, and saw, in the front yard, pieces of bone and the remains of a carcass of a pig that had been roasted. They were here. But they fled as soon as they learned they were coming.

 _Smart move. Cowardly, but smart._

"Girls?" the youngest puff offered.

"What?" Buttercup snapped.

"Look. They don't even have TV," she said.

The other two looked around, and Bubbles was right. There was no TV. How can they even know of Buttercup's challenge? No wonder they didn't show up.

"Let's wait for them. They have to sleep, right?" Blossom asked. "Then you can issue your challenge and we can fight before bedtime."

…

* * *

It was ten in the evening...

"Let's go home, Buttercup, or the Professor will get mad," Blossom said, yawning. It was obvious that the boys won't come back, at least for that night.

"This sucks. Where are those good for nothing Rowdyruff Boys?" Buttercup ranted.

"Let's go home, please. This is getting boring," Bubbles argued. "We can get them next time."

Buttercup also yawned. "Next time. We'll get them next time."

The girls flew home, tired and disappointed.

* * *

 _ **35\. Back to the Library**_

…

Earlier that night, at about 6:45 p.m…

"Aw, why do we have to check the library at this time? We know those powderpuffs will be staying there checking out for the ghosts," Boomer whined as they left their shack after having dinner. "We should just stay home and come here when it's bed time!"

Brick knew his brother had a point. But he wanted to go back and read, and he would always check if the girls would give up their futile quest to unmask the ghosts. They had to give up, right? After all, night after night, there were no ghosts. Brick made sure of that.

Perhaps hitting them in the head and knocking them while pretending to be ghosts wasn't his brightest idea. After all, all it did was to whet their curiosity and determination to get to the bottom of it, not to scare them away. But he shouldn't be surprised that he made such a mistake.

After all, he was still _stupid_ , and dumber that those Powerpuff Girls.

He and his brothers needed to learn. So he was very angry that his brothers messed it up. But it was his fault too. He permitted it. Yes, it was fun messing with the girls that way, but it led to their discovery.

That's because they're stupid. So they made stupid mistakes.

His job was to make sure their stupidity would be gone. But now the avenue of sneaking to the school and learning from Ms Keane was closed.

"We shouldn't have run away from them," Butch ranted as they flew to the library. "We would have beaten them up. We're stronger than them!"

"For the last time, it won't matter much how stronger we are than them, we'd still lose! They're still smarter, and they'll find a way to win," Brick replied. "We can't fight them until we're smarter than them. And we shouldn't have been discovered in the first place!"

"And we wouldn't have," Boomer said, "but how should I know that the Princess can speak to animals? They didn't find out about the other tricks, you know."

"Boom, that was fun, but we shouldn't have risked it!" Brick argued. "Don't you know how to speak to animals?"

"No, I don't. But if the Princess Bubbles can do it, I can too!" he declared. "After all, we're getting smarter, right?"

Brick smirked. "And one more thing. Next time we meet them, we must hide what we learned. Try to look dumb so they'll think we're just the same as before."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Butch.

Brick smirked. "Idiot! Do you really think I didn't know what the capital of France was? It's Paris! But I want Pinky to think that I was just as dumb as before! Won't she be surprised when she suddenly learns how smart we are compared to before?"

"Oh I get it! They'll be confused and they'll make mistakes!" Boomer said.

"Exactly," Brick said as they landed on the bushes outside the library.

It was seven p.m.

He turned on his x-ray vision, fully expecting to see the Powerpuff Girls inside the place.

They were not there?

He checked again.

"Brick, I can't see them. They're not—" Boomer stated.

"I know," Brick replied excitedly. Finally, they gave up! For this night at least. Maybe Boomer's pranks were worth it, after all?

"They're not there! Yes! I can finally read about Hercules!" the blond ruff exclaimed enthusiastically.

"And I can read the comic books!" Butch said, twitching at the prospect of reading more violence. "The Flash, Batman, Superman, Major Glory, here I come!"

* * *

…

Brick eagerly plucked a book from the elementary shelves. It was a book on Mathematics. He wanted desperately to master that subject, and to be better than Blossom. It was a tall order, since Pinky was very good at math. But he had faith in himself.

He looked at his brothers, and he was pleased. Boomer was reading another story, about a hero called Hercules, while Butch was engrossed in his comic books. He was sure their vocabulary would expand, and they wouldn't be embarrassed when the girls would use big words.

* * *

…

It was 10 p.m. and it was time to go to sleep. Once again, Brick called a halt to the reading, and switched off the lights before settling down on the soft couch.

Life was good. And it would become better.

Still, something troubled him.

Like Math.

Not the actual math. It was simple and fun.

No, it was something about learning math. Before he went and listened at school, he didn't know he needed to know about Math. Only school taught him that. Sure, reading books that he liked to read was fun and deeply satisfying, but what if there were things that he needed to know that he won't know because he didn't know that he needed to know it? That was the function of school. It gave the students the subjects that were important in life. It gave him knowledge of what he must read about and study. Otherwise, if he learned what he liked and nothing else, he might be a total genius in one subject, and a total moron on another.

He wanted to go back to school and listen to Ms Keane. He wanted to have direction in his learning. And his brothers desperately needed to know things other than what they learned in comics and stories. They needed someone to tell them what to learn.

He had the perfect plan. Unfortunately, Boomer ruined it by doing his tricks and getting themselves discovered. They can't risk doing the same thing.

So what can they do?

They all needed to…

Enroll in school? No, they won't go to school. It was a prison. It was a place to learn, it was true, but it was a prison nonetheless.

Brick pondered what he and his brothers needed in order to really best the girls.

He closed his eyes. As he drifted to sleep, a single thought pervaded his brain. A single, significant seed was planted. He _knew_ what must be done in order to make them really smart.

The Rowdyruff Boys needed a _teacher_.

* * *

 **End of Chapter II**

Please, please, kindly leave a review if you liked this story. Thank you!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** ,

 _Great story, keep on updating :D_

 _I will admit that I was waiting by my phone for an alert._

Thank you. Here's chapter III. I hope you like this.

* * *

To **Anonymous dick,**

 _This is quite good! I believe that this story has quite a lot of potential due to the premise of it alone. The pacing is quite well done if a bit erratic at times. The characterization is quite well done. The detail is a bit lackluster but is enough so to give the general idea. Now understand I am not saying you should write paragraph after paragraph about a single blade of grass but still maybe a bit more? Though where I believe you shine is the dialogue/interaction between characters and alliteration. I mean the fight between Blossom and Brick? Fantastic, so I suppose you could count fight scenes as well handled. Hell, I would compare this to As Time Goes By at times with how well you have made the characters develop. So, I guess what I am saying is that this story has potential. Just preserve and the reviews And follows can and will come. Good luck._

 _Sincerely yours,_

 _Anonymous Dick_

Thank you very much. Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, the pacing could be erratic, but that is because of the nature of the story. Sometimes, a lot would happen in a short period of time, while other times, nothing would happen during long stretches of time. As for the characterizations, thank you. I try to stay true to the characterizations in the show, or if they depart from it, it should be sufficiently explained, and grow out of their original personality because of events, etc.

As for detail, I try my best, but sometimes, I'm not just any good at it. Though mostly I do for things that are really important to the story or the plot. As for fight scenes, yeah, I really really love reading fight scenes, and I love doing it too! PPG is good in this because it's a fighting cartoon, even if most of the fights in the cartoon are one-sided beatdown in favor of the PPG!

Aw, you compared it with As Time Goes By. That's the highest compliment one can receive in this board, in my opinion.

Thank you!

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

Chapter I

 _the fight scenes are spectacular! I can see that you put a lot of time in to get them just right. Good job!_

Yes, I try to make the fights memorable to the reader. And it's fun to do it. Writing them bash each other silly is very rewarding!

Chapter II

 _I. NEED. MOOOORRREEEE!_

And here's more!

* * *

To **Akum,**

 _hahaha Boomer is so in character. You know, I reread Allies and Rivals I and II, and then... the horror... Allies and Rivals III is being edited!, I'm glad you Completed Falsely Acussed. Honestly, you're the best, and I'll explain why I think so. Later._

Thank you. As for Allies and Rivals III, yeah, I'm still editing it. Sorry. Anyway, hopefully, I'll complete it's editing. And yeah, I'm glad I finished _Falsely Accused._

* * *

To **William F Somebody** ,

Chapter I

 _An interesting premise. So Brick wants to learn? How will he go on about it though?_

 _Let's see. An excellent start to a well written tale._

Well, he found ways. First in the library, and in this story, sneaking to go to school without actually becoming a student.

Chapter II

 _Now this was a great chapter! Everything, from the boys going to the library, to pretending to be ghosts, to the Powerpuff Girls getting involved, and the moment they smacked their heads, was perfect._

Thank you. I always tried to imagine what would happen if the RRB sneaked in the library just to read. And this chapter gave me a chance to see what would happen!

 _I love Boomer's point of view. It was refreshing for us to see how he sees the events that his brother initiated. His voice was so cute._

Thanks. Getting the individual voices of the characters could be hard. So I tried to do it mostly in his POV, and also of Bubbles.

 _And so was Bubbles! She had the naïve believe that the Ghost was real. And she was partly right, of course. Blossom was mistaken at first when she refused to believe there's nothing to the ghosts, but got it right when she said that they were just some guys in white sheets._

Yeah, Bubbles was cute. And Blossom's pretty smart. She figured out right away that the ghosts were really just guys in white sheets!

 _But oh their preconceptions of the boys would really hurt them! If they only respected their intelligence, they would have already solved this mystery!_

But of course, their prejudice would prevent them from recognizing a fact just staring them in the face.

 _All in all, another great chapter. I hope you update soon!_

Thanks.

* * *

To **John,**

Chapter I

 _Nice start!_

Oh thank you.

Chapter II

 _That was really fun!_

Thanks _._ I try to make my chapters fun for the reader too!

And thanks to William F Somebody, Akum, Anonymous dick, and RedRiderBreaker for my making this story one of your favorites!

And thanks to mendezgonzalezfrank, William F Somebody, nasba, YxYYLover, and Anonymous dick for following this story!

* * *

 **Thanks to you all for inspiring me to continue with this tale, my dear readers!**


	4. I-The Teacher

**An Education For Power**

Brick tries to educate himself and his brothers so they can beat the Powerpuff Girls. Chapter 4. The Rowdyruff Boys asks Ms Keane to teach them-privately. How will Ms Keane react when three evil supervillains suddenly asked her to be their teacher? Will she answer yes or no? How will the boys react if she says no? And if she answers yes, how will they handle being students?

* * *

 **Book I**

 **How to Learn?**

* * *

 **Chapter IV**

 **The Teacher**

* * *

 _ **36\. Butch of the Rowdyruffs**_

 _October 2, 2004, Friday, at about 9:50 p.m._

"Stop, Lex Luthor! Halt your evil ways, or you will pay the price!"

 _Go Lex! Show that good for nothing superhero how evil shall prevail!_

Butch lovingly clutched the pages of the comic book that he was reading. He knew in his brain what the end was going to be, but somehow, somehow, hoped in his heart that, this time, the bad guy would win.

He turned the page.

 _Yes! Lex has kryptonut! Surely, Supes can't do anything!_

"Oh no! My only weakness!" the caped hero exclaimed as he fell on his knees.

The bald-headed scientist approached the hero, clutching the glowing green gem that gave him such an edge. "When you are gone, my plan to conquer the world will be fulfilled! No one can stop me!"

 _Conquer the World! Go Lex!_

He turned the next page. Superman was able to trick Lex into dropping the gem.

Not again! Please let the bad guy win! Pick it up, Lex! Pick it up!

But it was not to be! Superman was able to isolate the green glowing gem, and he proceeded to beat up Lex's goons.

Despite him rooting for the bald scientist, he really liked watching Superman punch and kick all those goons. Such _lovely_ violence! Why was it that when Superheroes kick their enemies, and sometimes, even kill them, they were cheered? But when so-called villains do it, they get booed? It was unfair! Bad guys like himself should beat up whomever they want, and they should be cheered! After all, violence was good, right? Violence was the best!

Superman does violence to his enemies. That alone makes up for his sickeningly do-gooderness. It makes him cool. And it makes Batman, or Flash, or Spiderman cool. They do violence! Sure, they only do it to villains. But they do it nonetheless.

But the villains were way cooler! Magneto of X-Men comics was the greatest and way cooler than Wolverine. Lex Luthor was a weakling, but Butch loved his evilness! Galactus was literally god to him!

"Okay boys, it's ten o'clock! Time to go to sleep."

Why does big brother have to be a spoil sport?

"Aw Brick! I'm not yet done reading Aesop's Fables!" the blond sibling whined.

Ah, his youngest brother, the wimp. Even his reading was wimpy and for sissies. At least he got his priorities right about not wanting to go to bed yet.

"Yeah, Brick! I'm not yet finished!" Butch complained.

"It's ten. Time to go to bed!" the leader snapped. "Put it back!"

Butch did as asked. So did Boomer.

His elder brother switched off the lights, and the three settled on the soft couches.

If there was one thing good about his brother's insanity, it was the couches. The soft couches felt so good! He never wanted to lie on another thing again. He never wanted to go back to his hard mattress in their home.

Never!

But they must. Brick said so, or the library goers would find them in the morning. Who cares if they find them? They'll beat them up! But Brick was crazy, so they had to hide like mice!

What had gotten into his leader?

Brick was a bit crazy during the past few weeks. Ever since he got beat up by Blossom. Clearly, Pink Eyes had hit his brother a little bit too hard in the noggin. Why else would he be acting so strange? Like admitting that they were dumber than those idiot Powderpuffs?

But Butch had to admit, his brother's craziness had some nice benefits. Like the couches.

And the comics. He never could imagine life without his precious comic books!

But some of Brick's ideas were not so beneficial. Like going to the Powerpuff School and listening to the teacher. What was Brick thinking when he thought of that? True, Butch learned a little bit, but it was boring. He was thankful that his little brother was able to provide entertainment. He had to contain himself in order to avoid laughing at seeing Buttercup being accused of burning that chair! And of course, throwing that mouse of Princess' Morbucks head was really funny!

But he really appreciated Boomer throwing that squirrel. Without it, they would have been stuck going to school every day, listening to the teacher! It was boring!

Somehow, it led to the girls not hanging out in the library after closing hours, trying to catch "the ghosts". So the boys were able to resume their reading. Boomer, his stupid fairly tales. Brick, his boring textbooks. As for Butch, his exciting comics.

He had to admit. He was learning. Even without realizing it. Even without wanting to learn. He was smarter than before they started. The words he was using was proof of that. Laser. Earth. Orbit. Jab. Hook. Disguise. Flash. Insanity. Diamond. Kryptonite. Identity. All words learned from comic books.

He learned about the solar system from Superman. And also about stars and galaxies. He learned about earthquakes too. And about Geography. He learned more about the United States and the world from reading comics. Like Washington D.C. being the capital, the President being the head of the U.S., New York City being the biggest city, etc. And how Dr Doom is the monarch of Latveria, a tiny country in Eastern Europe. It was amazing how many things one can learn just from reading comics!

The only thing wrong about the current situation was Brick's avoidance of the Powerpuff Girls. What was the cause of his cowardice? No, Brick was not a coward. After what happened in Hell with Him, nobody could accuse his leader of being a coward. _But what happened to his confidence_? His confidence when it came to their mortal enemies was shot. It was gone. Did he forget that they were stronger than them? Never did Butch feel more ashamed than when the ruffs ran away from the puffs after being discovered in school. Yes, they _ran away_! There was no way to sugarcoat it. They should've waited for the girls to come back, and fought them honorably, or even fought them dirty. They should not have run away. They must have looked like cowards.

 _Cowards! We're not cowards! Then why is Brick so hesitant? Why the need to be smarter before we can fight them?_

But Brick was the leader, and he cannot go against him. Maybe there's a method to his madness? Maybe he's right, and it would lead to them being better than the Powerpuff Girls. But at that night, the toughest ruff just wasn't seeing it.

It was his last thought as he drifted into dreamland…

 _Stupid Powerpuff Girls! Casting a spell on Brick! I'm gonna break their bones for messing with my leader!_

* * *

 _ **37\. Multiplication and Teachers**_

 _The next day, October 3, 2004, Saturday…_

It was morning, and they had just finished breakfast. Fishbone were scattered on the grounds outside their shack in the woods—they had caught a big fish in the sea for breakfast and roasted them in the yard outside the shack. Logs were scattered all around—the result of Boomer's overeagerness to chop firewood for their roast. And the woods had turned red or brown or yellow. But not green. Except for trees with needle leaves, which Brick called Pine, Spruce or Cypress or evergreen trees. They remained green. But the forest wasn't all green. Butch frowned. Green was his favorite color. He wanted it to remain green.

"Both of you, I have something to tell you," Brick announced, and the two sat on logs that doubled as chairs as their leader floated before them. He could tell that something was coming up. He had the look on his eyes that told Butch that there would be big changes. He hoped that he would like what Brick would tell them.

"I have been thinking. We have been learning, and we're smarter!" he said.

 _Yes we are! We are way smarter than those Powerpuff Girls now. Time to beat them up!_

"But it's not enough."

What? Reading a hundred comic books in more than a month was not enough to make oneself smart? Brick really needed to have his head examined. He wanted to object. He was smart enough. And if he read more comic books, he would become even smarter.

"What do you mean?" asked Boomer.

"Well, we're learning fast, and we can say we know more big words than before," said Brick. "Those sissies can't trick us anymore on that score. But it's not enough."

"What do you mean?" asked Butch.

"Tell me, Butch, what is six times seven?"

"Huh?" asked the green ruff. What does times mean? Perhaps it's time? "It means its seven minutes after six o'clock!"

Butch was proud to have answered that correctly.

"No Butch. It's not time. It's a multiplication problem."

"Huh? What's multiwhatever?"

"It means to multiply," Brick began. "It's actually not that complicated." He began gathering stones and putting on the ground. "Let's say we have three stones. How many stones are there?"

"Three!"

"Very good, Boom. Now let's make two of those."

He got three more stones and put it besides the original three. Why was Brick playing with rocks?

"What are ya doing?" asked Butch.

"See, we have two three rocks. See? Two sets of three rocks."

The middle ruff still did not know where he was going with this.

"So what?" he asked. "This is stupid."

"Count all stones."

"Six," Boomer said, clapping his hand as he did so.

"So three times two equals six. That's multiplication. I wouldn't have learned that if we hadn't gone to school," Brick stated.

Was his brother actually proposing to go to school?

"But I don't wanna go to school!" the blond wimp whined.

Butch agreed. Hopefully, the wimp's whining would tell Brick that this was a bad idea.

"So what? It isn't important to learn multiplication. Is it important?" Butch challenged.

"I don't know. I'm sure it's important. Otherwise, why would they teach it? And we won't know what's important until we learn it," Brick argued. "When we know it, we can decide what's useful and not useful."

"Tell me we're not going to school," the green ruff said, almost pleading. He really didn't want to be part of it.

"We're not. We're getting a teacher," Brick proclaimed.

"What?" Butch asked. His brother had gone nuts!

"What do you mean?"

"It's a tutor, actually. She can teach us what is important, and what is useful," his redheaded brother explained. "We'll hire her."

That didn't mollify Butch. He was opposed to anyone having any sort of power over them, and however Brick might call her, a teacher or tutor would have some power over them. And it's something that he really didn't like.

"I don't like it. It means we have to listen to someone other than each other," Butch finally said.

"True. But it's something we need," Brick said. "And we'll get something out of it. We'll finally be better than those Powersissies, and we can beat them to the ground with our brains."

"Anything that could change your mind about getting a teacher?" asked Butch, hopeful that his brother's mind could be swayed.

"Nope. We're learning from a teacher or a tutor, and that's that!" was his leader's swift reply.

He sighed. Things just had gotten worse. Maybe he'll change his mind once he finds out what it really means to take orders from someone. He knew his brother. He was bossy, and would not be subordinate to anyone.

* * *

 _ **38\. Teaching the Powerpuffs**_

…

 _October 4, 2004, Monday…_

"Okay. Who wants to solve the first problem?"

A familiar figure raised her hand.

Ms Keane sighed. It was expected. The Multiplication problems she wrote on the board were simple. Like "1 x 1" or "5 x 2" type simple. She had begun the task of asking the students to memorize the multiplication table, after spending an entire week explaining the principles behind multiplication. She used pictures, and even videos to help explain the concept. And she can tell that a couple of students were slowly getting it. Like Buttercup Utonium. Or even Princess Morebucks.

But only Blossom really knew what she was talking about. In fact, even before she even attended class, she already knew it. Even in kindergarten, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls knew it.

Of course, it was a delight to hear her recite and get most of the problems right. Though sometimes, her overconfidence would sometimes cause her to make small mistakes. That was the reason Blossom, though always on top, did not have perfect scores all the time.

But it was a bit tiring to hear her voice ninety-nine percent of the time. Where were the other students?

"Yes Blossom?"

"Three times two equals six."

"Very good. That's correct. Now, who can answer the next problem?"

Blossom raised her hand.

 _C'mon, somebody else raise their hand._

Nobody else did.

"Blossom?"

"Six times six equals thirty six."

"Very good, Blossom. Now let's do something else."

Hopefully, the next problem would result in more volunteers.

There were six. _Including_ Blossom.

Time to give the others a chance.

"Mike?"

Mike Believe stood up. "Um, three times zero equals three."

The teacher could not believe what she was hearing. It was so easy! "And why do you say that, Mike?" she asked as the class laughed.

"Well, any number multiplied by zero would result in the same number," Mike explained.

"No Mike, you're confusing multiplying zero with multiplying one. The answer is zero. Any number multiplied by zero is zero."

"Ha, everyone knows that!" Buttercup shouted. "You're as dumb as those Rowdyruffs!"

"Buttercup, be nice!" Ms Keane snapped. The green puff could sometimes be very mean.

"Ha, the loser with an imaginary friend has imaginary numbers!" Princess Morbucks laughed.

The bell rang for recess.

Ms Keane looked on with pride as the students ran, or in the case of the Powerpuff Girls, flew, out of the classroom. "Be careful!" she shouted, as the normal students went to the stairs.

"Ms Keane?"

The blue eyed teacher looked at the employee, a teen-ager, about 19, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and wearing office attire. She was working at the Principal's office.

"Yes, Mara?" asked the teacher.

"The Principal would like to see you. It's about the reply of your request."

The news immediately brightened her day. The request had been to effect a change in the teaching techniques in the school, which Ms Keane believed, would result in better learning for the students. Even if it would not change school policy, she hoped that she at least would be granted permission to implement it in her classes so she can show the others what an improvement her new technique would be.

She walked through the corridors towards a door at the end. She was so sure that it would be approved that she hurriedly opened it, and entered the office.

"Dr. Crowley?"

Robert Crowley was a middle aged man, age 42, married, with three children, the oldest already in college, the youngest, in the sixth grade. He had light brown hair that was thin and balding, and piercing grey eyes. He sat in his chair, and the look on his face told her that she might be disappointed.

Behind him, on the wall, was his family portrait. Besides it was his diploma and other marks of academic distinction. It was obvious that he was overqualified to be mere principal of a private school. He had a Ph.D. and was more suited for a University.

"Sandy," he said, "please take a seat."

She did as told.

"I have some good news, and some bad news. Let's have the good news first. I've receive the report of the investigations regarding the chair and the laser that hit Harry Pitt," he began.

She already knew the result. Ever since the Rowdyruff Boys confessed, everyone knew what had happened.

"It was the Rowdyruff Boys!" he said.

Bingo! That was painfully obvious.

"As for the mouse on Princess' Morbucks head, we still don't know who did it. It's probably the Rowdyruffs, but there's no hard proof that it's them. Circumstantial evidence, yes, but not hard proof," explained Mr Crowley.

"How about who tore the notebook?" asked Ms Keane.

"Probably the ghosts," said the principal. "The Powerpuff Girls swore that the one who wrote the note and the ghosts in the library were one and the same. Now for the bad news."

"Yes, Dr Crowley?"

"I'm so sorry, Ms Keane, but the school superintendent denied your request," said the Principal, handing a letter to Ms Keane. "It says that what you are requesting is impossible as the teaching methods and standards are set by law."

"But this is a private school, and—"

"I know. But we cannot afford to deviate from state standards," said Dr Crowley.

"But you must understand, with the Powerpuff Girls as my students, and with them particularly brighter than any other students, you cannot apply one teaching standard! They might be the same age, but the Puffs are far more advanced than their classmates. Blossom's intelligence is even, as they say, on a high school level!"

"We know. I know that, you know that. The Powerpuff Girls are a problem because of their advanced intelligence. Bubbles is not so much of a problem, as she's advanced, but only a bit, but Blossom! Well, as you said, she could be studying High School, and academically, she would be right at home. But their maturity level is only that of first graders or in Blossom's case, perhaps only a little older. They cannot be advanced, since they are just little kids, and they will not fit in with teen-agers, or for that matter, even third graders."

Ms Keane was deflated. "It's just that they could be learning so much more than what I'm offering them. They could be so much smarter than they are now. But I can't teach them more since their classmates cannot keep up if I do so!"

"That's why you're advocating separate classrooms for the three only? Look Ms Keane, school is not only for teaching kids academically. It also teaches them how to interact with their peers, and how to socialize. They need it, since with their powers, they are already a class apart," he reasoned with an understanding voice.

"I know."

"As for the lesson and such, I'm sorry, but even if I wanted to, I can't let you. It's the superintendent's decision. Not mine," he said.

The bell rang. Recess was over.

"Well, thank you for sending my recommendations to the superintendent," she said.

"You're welcome. And if it's any comfort, I gave my approval and recommended it's adoption by this school," the principal sighed. "I only repeated what they told me."

"Thanks," she smiled, before walking back to her classroom.

* * *

 _ **39\. Ms Keane and Her Problems**_

…

To say that she was disappointed was an understatement. She really was sure that the superintendent would not deny her request. Why shouldn't he? After all, wasn't she right?

As she drove her car from the elementary school towards her home, she looked at the time. 3:30 p.m. She had watched as the kids walked or ran out of her classroom into the grounds, and either rode the school bus, or were picked up by their parents. Except for the Powerpuff Girls. They flew.

The Powerpuff Girls…

She loved them. She felt that they were the daughters she never had. She felt very motherly when interacting with them. Maybe it was the fact that the girls never had a mother. A teacher, they say, was a second mother. It was never more true than in the case of the Powerpuff Girls. She could not count all the instances when she taught them things that only a female could, and which the Professor, by virtue of being a man, could not. She giggled. The girls, more often than not, would come to her for advice that they knew the Professor could not give.

Professor Utonium…

She mused. She had dated him once. It was awkward. Extremely awkward. Still, their relationship may have progressed if it were not for his aversion for cats. Really, the Professor was a barbarian for hating cats! Just because he had previous experience with being mind-controlled by a cat did not give him the excuse to hate all cats! She cannot love someone who does not like cats!

Still, the fact that any chance of any romantic relationship between the Professor and her was nil did not mean that they did not remain friends. They remained close, and they collaborated on something close to both their hearts—raising the Powerpuff Girls. Professor Utonium many times had been invited to parent teacher conferences—whether to receive praise for Blossom's achievements, whether to revel in Bubbles' artistic skill, or to tell the Professor her academic weaknesses, or to tell the Professor any trouble that Buttercup had gotten into.

She arrived. She parked her car, went to her mailbox, got her mail, and entered her home. Her house was a two-storey house that was better suited to a family of six than to someone who lives by herself like Ms Keane. But she really did not like living in a rented apartment. She wanted to live in a house like the one she grew up with, so when she got an opportunity to get a big house that seemed to be within her means, she got it.

And it was _big._ Located at the very edge of the suburbs, it had two storeys, not including the attic and the basement. The first floor had a big kitchen with the most modern appliances, and the living room had a big TV and sound system in front of a long couch and two smaller couches besides it. There was a rich Persian carpet on the floor, and a center table with a decorative ashtray (that she never uses except to put candy), and an embroidered tablecloth. There was an upright piano against the wall on the other side. Between the kitchen and the living room was the dining room, with a big wooden table, with six chairs around it, and fruit (apples, oranges, and grapes) in the middle.

She was proud of her house, as she sat on the couch, and began checking her mail. They were mostly bills. Her utility bills were low, and whatever amount she had to pay was mostly due to the fixed monthly minimum rather than to her usage. It was expected.

The one that concerned her the most was the monthly mortgage payments on her house. She opened it, and read the Statement of Account.

 _Four More Years, Sandy,_ she said to herself. Four more years to fully pay off her house, her castle in the suburbs. The monthly amount she had to deposit in the local bank was painful, but affordable. After all, she was working as one of the highest paid teachers in Pokey Oakes Elementary School, a private school, despite teaching only one section.

It was her work when she worked at kindergarten that led to her current job. She did an admirable job being teacher to the Powerpuff Girls, making sure their status as superheroes, and the fact that they were the most powerful kids in the world, did not affect their treatment by the school, and by their classmates. Thus, they were able to be and were able to act like normal five-year-old students, except for the fact that they were brighter and more intelligent than the average kindergartener.

Other teachers in the elementary school were either too in awe of the Powerpuff Girls, or were too afraid of them, or too admiring of them, for them to be suitable teachers for the superheroes. So it was deemed suitable to hire Sandy Keane to continue teaching the Powerpuff Girls until more specialized teachers would be needed. As of that moment, Ms Keane's educational attainments were enough to qualify her to teach every subject in the first grade. And she would also, periodically, instruct other teachers on the art of teaching superheroes, especially in the higher grades.

That entailed a higher salary for Sandy as she was loathed to give up teaching kindergarten. The school had to make a really attractive offer for her to be enticed to teach first grade. An offer that enabled her to buy her dream home.

And to raise her credit card limit.

Which was causing her more headaches than her mortgage bills, or her utility bills. Those were predictable.

But as she looked at her credit card bill, her eyes bugged out at the amount she owed. Even the minimum payment shocked her. How did she owe so much?

Because she kept buying things. Cheap things. Small things. Like clothes worth a couple of dollars, bags that were affordable, a new carpet, and other things to furnish her new home. All of which, individually, were really cheap.

But add it all up, and it got out of hand.

 _Did I really spend that much?_ _I guess I did._

She really should not have bought the Persian carpet, or the new Kinkaid painting. Or even the piano. But she could not resist! After, she could afford it with her new salary, right? And she could not bear to have her home look so bare!

 _So I did overspend. Guess I'll have to tighten the belt a little bit._

* * *

 _ **40\. Unexpected Visitors**_

She was pondering on how she's gonna budget her monthly earnings when she heard her doorbell ring.

She walked and opened her front door. "Yes?"

There was no one there.

"Funny. I swore someone rang the doorbell. Pranksters, I guess."

She closed her door, and got the shock of her life.

" _Hello, Ms Keane._ "

The one who spoke was a child, no older than six. He has long red hair, under a red cap, with red shirt that was a bit torn at the edges, giving him the appearance of a street child, but it was surprisingly clean. He had black pants. His eyes had an unnatural blood red color.

With him were two other boys. On his left was a blond boy at the same age. He had the same clothes as the first boy, but he had a dark blue shirt instead of red. His eyes were a deep blue.

On the right was a boy with spiked black hair and green eyes. He also had the same tattered clothes as the other two, but his shirt was dark green.

But it was not the fact of their appearance that shocked her.

It was the fact that they were eye level with her.

Because they were floating.

She recognized them.

They were the Rowdyruff Boys.

She had seen them from TV reports and newspapers. And she saw them when they were last seen, at school, right after they were discovered to have done the tricks that Buttercup was accused of.

She looked at them.

And despite the fact that she knew them to be evil, that they were very powerful and could snap her neck in an instant, she could not help but think one thing.

They were ADORABLE.

They were cute. They might be villains, but they were also six-year-old kids. And they _looked_ like six-year-old kids. Looking at them reminded her of the Powerpuff Girls. She wanted to go hug them, and mother them, and change their tattered clothes, to mother them, to make them feel at home…

Tattered clothes… She really wanted to go to a trip to the tailors' and order new clothes for them.

She felt sorry for them, just by their appearance.

 _Wait_ , she should not feel sorry for them. They were _evil_! Recently, they destroyed school property and framed Buttercup!

She repressed any motherly feelings and looked at them, determined not to betray her thoughts. She was going to show them that she was the teacher of the mighty Powerpuff Girls.

"Don't you know it's not polite to come in without being invited?" she asked a bit sternly.

"We're evil. We don't do polite," the redheaded one replied. "And we don't want to stay outside longer than we have to. Somebody might see us, and we don't want that."

She agreed with that. Anyone seeing the Rowdyruff Boys would be freaked out, so it made sense for them to quickly enter as soon as the door was opened.

"So, you are?" she began. She might know them as the Rowdyruff Boys, but she didn't know their names.

"I'm Brick!"

"Boomer."

"And I'm Butch."

"And we're the Rowdyruff Boys!" they said in unison.

"Yes, I've heard of you!"

"We're the most evil villains in history!" Brick boasted.

"Yeah! We kicked butts! We kicked those Powerpuffs to the ground!" Butch boasted.

"Yeah, we kicked butts!" Boomer repeated, earning him a hit from Butch. "Ow"

"Say your own lines," the green eyes ruff snapped.

"So what can I do for you?" asked Ms Keane. Even if she was not showing it, she was a bit scared. What do they want from her? Would they rob her? Beat her up? Use her against the Powerpuff Girls? She was absolutely helpless against the Rowdyruff Boys.

"We want something," said Brick.

"Are you going to rob me?" Ms Keane asked. There was no point in beating around the bush.

"No," Brick, who was obviously the leader, said.

They're not going to rob her? That gave her a sigh of relief. So what do they want?

"We want you to teach us."

She blinked. What?

"Come again?" asked the teacher.

"Teach us."

Was she hearing things? The biggest hoodlums in town were asking her to teach them. It was not like the situation where the truant officer made the Gang Green Gang go to her school in kindergarten. Seriously, who thought that was a good idea, especially at their ages? But these three boys were the same age as the Powerpuff Girls. Would it be a good idea to put them in the same classroom as the Powerpuff Girls?

It doesn't matter. She's a teacher. Her first responsibility was to educate children. Especially children who wanted to be taught.

Like the Rowdyruff Boys.

Villains or not.

She would bring the boys to school and teach them.

"Of course, boys. I'll have you enrolled in Pokey Oakes Elementary School, or at Townsville Public—"

"Sorry, Ms Keane. We ain't going to school."

"Huh? But you wanted me to teach you. And I can teach you at school!"

"No. We want you to teach us. Personally. Like a tutor," explained the redhead.

They wanted her to tutor them?

"Explain," Ms Keane demanded.

"We don't wanna go to school. And nobody could force us to," said Brick. "We hate school. But if there's one thing right done by school, it's learning. The Powerpuff Girls are smart, and it's because of you, Ms Keane, right?"

Ms Keane beamed with pride. Coming from the enemies of the Powerpuff Girls, it was a great compliment.

"Well, I'm not the only one responsible for that," she said. "But yes, I could say that I am a small part of the reason why they are smart and responsible."

"I saw it when we went to your school. I was listening to your lessons. You're really smart, and I want you teach me, and my brothers," the red eyed leader explained. "We want you to teach us, and teach us only, not with anybody else. You could teach in school if you want, but you must also teach us outside school."

* * *

 _ **41\. A Bitter Disappointment**_

Ms Keane looked at them. She looked at Brick's red eyes, and she could see that he was desperate to learn. She looked at Boomer, and there was the curiosity and the eagerness of a six-year-old child. Butch was mostly bored, though he tried to look tough.

Should she do it?

Unfortunately, she can't. She was already overworked. She really can't spare the time. She had too much to worry about. Bills, bills, bills. And of course, there was the pressure of teaching elementary students, especially the Powerpuff Girls. And she can't even think about the ethics of teaching villains privately. She would be accused of coddling criminals!

No, she can't do it. _It's not right_! She would be helping the enemy! She would be aiding evil! The boys were evil!

"I'm very flattered that you came to me," Ms Keane began, trying to soften the blow. "I want to teach you. I want to educate you, don't get me wrong. But I can't."

Brick suddenly looked at her as if he could not believe what he was hearing.

"You can't?" he exclaimed, in a dangerous tone.

Ms Keane began to doubt her safety.

"Not unless you can pay me," she began, looking for a plausible reason to refuse. "You see, being a tutor is a full time job, and I'm a busy woman. I've got so many things to do, and so many bills to pay. I am sorry."

"So its money you want?" Brick replied, confidence returning to his tone. "We could easily get you money."

 _Oh right. They could easily get money._

This was bad. She can't condone them stealing just so they can pay her to teach them! It would be wrong! She would be giving encouragement to theft and robbery!

"I'm sorry, but I won't accept stolen money, and yes, I know that all your money was stolen. So unless you can tell me that you have a job, or that there's someone with a job who's willing to pay me, then I can't accept anything from you," said Ms Keane.

"What?" he said, his tone rising. "You don't think we can get money without stealing?"

He was shaking, and it was clear that she had angered and insulted Brick by her words. But she can't take it back now. She had to make a stand. She can't teach them privately for free! If they want to learn, they must go to school. Or pay her with honest money.

"Listen, school's not that bad," she began to argue. "If you want, I promise you I'll get you enrolled in Pokey Oakes Elementary School, and you'll be classmates with the Powerpuff Girls. I'm sure all the kids would like to be friends with you, and—"

Remarkably, the leader calmed down. "Thanks, but no thanks. One more thing."

"Yes?" she asked.

"Don't tell anyone about this. We'll go now."

At that, the three ruffs left as suddenly as they appeared.

* * *

Ms Keane blinked. Was she dreaming? Was this real? Did the Rowdyruff Boys just ask her to be their private tutor? The same Rowdyruff Boys who were the terror of Townsville, and who recently destroyed school property?

And she was right to refuse! She can't afford to do so! She's up on her neck with bills! She needed to look for a second job. And they were evil! What if this was some kind of trick to get back at the Powerpuff Girls? She would never forgive herself if she was unwittingly made part of a plot to defeat the city's heroines.

Still, there was a part of her that wanted to accept their offer. She looked at them, and she felt so sorry for them. Sure, they were villains, and sure, they were the most powerful boys in the world, and sure, they once defeated the Powerpuff Girls, but she looked at them, and she can't help but feel pity. They looked like street children, like ragamuffins. Their clothes were little better than rags. They were the girls' counterparts, but while the girls were clean, polite, and were groomed for success, the boys were a bit rude, and were not groomed at all, period. The only thing in their favor was that they were surprisingly clean.

Through it all, she could see the little boys in them. She looked into their eyes, and they were a bit innocent. Not innocent as if they did not do wrong—no, they had an innocence about them, a childish innocence.

And they wanted to learn. What child would willingly ask his teacher to teach them? Sure, they hated school, but what child did not express similar sentiments? Only this time, the Ruffs probably had no guardian who can tell them to go to school. It was very first time that a child, outside of a school setting, that was not her relative, directly asked her to teach them! It really melted her heart, and she really wanted to be their tutor.

But she cannot.

Still, that encounter made her curious. She got her phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello, Sara? It's Sandy Keane. I just want to ask you about a certain group of villains. The Rowdyruff Boys. Could you tell me about them? Okay, please send it. Thanks."

* * *

…

 _The next day, October 5, Tuesday…_

Ms Keane looked at the file that Ms Bellum sent to her email. She had it printed, and took it to school. It was recess, and she was looking at it. Most of the things she read she already knew, yet the impression that the Rowdyruffs gave was very different from the vibes she was getting reading the report. It's as if they were two different people. The report seemed to make the Rowdyruffs absolute monsters. And she supposed, they were monsters with how they acted. Yet she looked at their cute little forms, their precious little eyes, and she knew that they really couldn't be monsters. She wanted to know more.

"Ms Keane? You called for us?"

It was Blossom.

She put the paper down, and saw the three Powerpuffs floating in front of her. Comparing them with how the boys looked, they really _were_ counterparts to the Rowdyruffs!

"Yes Ms Keane?" asked Bubbles politely.

"Well girls, I have the official result of the school investigation. Now we officially know what really happened. Congratulations, Buttercup, you're innocent. It was the Rowdyruff Boys who were responsible!"

"I know," Buttercup muttered.

"We knew that it wasn't Buttercup," Bubbles added.

"And we're happy that the truth came out," said Blossom.

"Now girls, just to wrap things up, I want ask you a question."

"Yes Ms Keane?"

"Tell me about the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Well, they're boys. What's there to tell?" Buttercup retorted.

"Yeah. They're disgusting, and gross!" Bubbles added.

Typical reactions. It might as well have been any other six-year-old girl talking about any other six-year-old boy.

"Not to mention dumb and stupid!" Blossom said.

"Now be nice girls," Ms Keane admonished. "You shouldn't really be talking about other people like that. Even if they are your enemies!"

"But they really are stupid!" Blossom insisted. "Tell them, Bubbles."

"Yeah. They can't even spell dumb. Brick spelled it d-u-m! Can you imagine? And he's supposed to be the smartest among them!" Bubbles affirmed.

"Yeah. And they acted like idiots when they were riding that boat, plane, and tank!" Buttercup added. "It was fun, but they were stupid."

"How about as enemies?" asked Ms Keane.

"They were… not bad," Buttercup said, with a _lot_ of hesitation.

"They were tough. Tougher than any other enemy!" Bubbles added.

"And they were the only ones who actually beat us in a fight!" Blossom said, though it was in a low tone. "But we showed them! We figured out their weakness, and now, they are no more of a threat than Mojo Jojo!"

"Yeah, they might be tough, but they're silly," Bubbles agreed.

"So you think that they're still a major threat?" asked Ms Keane.

"Well, we can beat them," Blossom began. "But—"

" _Don't say it! Don't say it_!" Buttercup shouted.

"But they can beat us too," the leader finished, "but we can handle them. But yeah, they're a threat, but not much of a threat. We will beat them when it matters, and that's all there is to it!"

"So you think that there's a chance that they could change?" the teacher asked.

"Change? What do you mean?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, could they turn away from evil?" the blue-eyed adult asked.

"The Rowdyruff Boys? They were born evil!" Bubbles stated.

"Yeah. They were made to destroy us! And they won't stop!" Buttercup added.

"They cannot change. They're too stupid to change!" the leader agreed.

The bell rang.

"Well thank you, girls," said Ms Keane. She was disappointed with her questioning. She expected a more mature response, but their response was that of six-year-old children. Typical. But she hoped that she might learn more. Still, it was informative. The boys were created evil. Perhaps they could change.

But now she understood why they came to her.

If it was true that they didn't even know how to spell the word "dumb", then they really needed help. Though if she should help them was another matter entirely. Would she be helping them defeat the Powerpuff Girls if she helped them learn?

But it was all idle speculation. She could not, even if she would want to, afford to teach them for free.

* * *

 _ **42\. The Nature of Evil**_

…

After school, she went shopping for a present for her mother. It was for her 73rd birthday. It took her awhile to find what she was looking for—a cookbook that her mother always wanted.

She had it wrapped, and deposited it in the front seat of her car. It was going to be a long drive to her parents' house in Farmsville.

It was seven in the evening as she drove past Townsville Library, when something caught her eye.

Three streaks of light landed in front of the building, with a middle aged man, whom she recognized as the manager of the library, waiting for them. It was the Powerpuff Girls. She stopped the vehicle and yelled.

"GIRLS!"

"Ms Keane!" yelled Blossom, waiving back. The other two girls waved too.

The teacher waved back, before resuming her drive. She knew what they were doing. They were still trying to catch a glimpse of the Ghost of Townsville Library. It was something that they were trying to do since they saw them last August. She wished the girls good luck. They needed it. The ghosts seemed determined not to be seen ever since that first encounter. And she hoped that they would not find them. It could end up like that first encounter—with the girls being hit in the head, and being dragged out unconscious.

She could not believe it at first. The mighty Powerpuff Girls laid low by inexistent ghosts? Well, the ghosts certainly existed! All the witnesses could not have been lying. And they were powerful.

* * *

Her mind wandered more as she drove out of the city into the countryside. She waxed nostalgic as memories of her childhood were revived.

She was a farm girl. Her parents and grandparents were farmers. She was the first of her family to actually venture into the city to pursue her own career. But that does not mean she lost her love of the land. On the contrary, the more time she spent on the city, the more she loved the countryside, the farm, and the rural life. If only she could teach and live in the country. But she could not live with her parents and keep her pride. And there's no other vacant lot in Farmville that would still make her live near enough to her work in the city.

Her new house at the edge of Townsville and at the border of Farmsville was the closest she could get to her dream. She just needed to look on one side of the window of her new house and see rows and rows of farmland, and look at the other side and see the large skyscrapers of Townsville. That was one reason she bought the land and the house even at that price when she had the money.

She smiled as she drove at full speed on the highway, always looking for the speck of white light that would… there it was! It was two story wooden frame-house. Built in the 19th century, it was in her family for more than a hundred years. She loved the place. It was her family home. The home she grew up on. The home of her fondest memories. She and her younger brother may have gone to school in the nearest city, Townsville, but the farm was still, home.

* * *

…

"Happy Birthday, Mom!" she greeted, giving her grey haired, grey eyed mother her gift as she entered the farmhouse.

"Thank you Sandy," she said, kissing her daughter on the cheeks.

She then hugged her Dad, who was about 75 years old, with white hair and blue eyes.

* * *

…

The celebration was happy, and it was a joy for the teacher to see her parents all smiles. Her younger brother and her nephew and niece were there too to liven up her day.

They all were in the living room, having already finished eating the food, sitting on couches around a table with various presents on the center table, in front of the warm fireplace. All the other guests have left, so it was only Sandy, her parents, her little brother, his wife, and their two little children, that were there.

"Hey Aunt Sandy, is it true that you teach the Powerpuff Girls?" a little girl, about seven years old, asked. She had brown hair, and big brown eyes, in a pink dress.

She looked at her adorable niece, and said, "Yes Mary. I teach the Powerpuff Girls."

"Wow, it's so cool having my aunt as the Powerpuff Teacher!" said Mary's brother, a boy about eight years old, with blond hair and green eyes. "So how are they?"

"Oh they're just regular kids who happened to have superpowers, Tom," she said, smiling. _And a lot smarter than kids their age too._

"And not just that, but your aunt also taught them last year in kindergarten! So a lot of what they know was because of her. Isn't that right, Sandy?" a man, with black hair and blue eyes, about ten years younger than her, said.

She looked at her younger brother. "Yes, Bill, though not all. A lot was taught to them by their Professor," she retorted.

"Speaking of the Professor, it is true, Sandy, that you two dated?" asked Sandy's blonde and green-eyed sister-in-law.

"Yes, Charlotte, but that's over," said Sandy, not wishing to revisit the topic, said. Before the 39-year-old Charlotte could say anything else, the teacher turned to her parents, and asked a question that was bugging her mind. "Mom, I have a question. Are there some people who are born evil?"

"Why do you ask, Sandy?"

"Well, if that person was born evil, is there any chance that he could change and become good?"

"Well, if he's born evil, I suppose he cannot change. Satan, for example, is born evil, and could never change," her Dad, who doubled as a minister, opined.

She clenched her cup. "Well, what if that thing who is supposed to be born evil was just a child right now? Would there be a good chance that someone could change him for the better?"

"Is he human?" asked Bill.

"Yes. But he was created to do evil."

"A human cannot be created good or evil," her father explained. "We all have free will. However, our choices could be conditioned by our environment, or by our upbringing. Our hypothetical evil boy, for example, could be considered born evil because his creator simply told them to be evil the moment they were born, or his thoughts dominated their minds so much that they don't have a choice."

"But could they be redeemed?" she asked.

"Well, I suppose they could. But they must be redeemed while they are young. While young, they are suggestible, and are more accepting of what people tell them. And it's better to start young to remove any evil influence from their lives. Why do you ask?"

"I know why! It's the Rowdyruff Boys!" Tom, the eight year old nephew, exclaimed. "They were created by an evil father, Mojo Jojo, and brought back by the devil himself!"

"How do you know that?" asked her aunt.

"Everyone knows that," he said innocently.

"If it's the Rowdyruffs you're talking about, then that's a good example. People consider them born evil, but they were evil not because of what they are, but because of what they do, and what their so-called parents told them to do," her father added. "They are just little boys who do not know better. Who told them that what they are doing was wrong? Nobody is irredeemable."

"Thank you," she said. "Nobody is irredeemable."

"Except this house! The mortgage can go to hell," her mother spoke.

* * *

 _ **43\. Mortgage Problems**_

Both Bill and Sandy looked at her, eyes wide.

"Mom? What mortgage?" asked Bill, his voice surprised by the news.

"Martha!" her father said, in a stern voice.

"Uh, it's nothing," Mrs. Keane said, with a hesitating voice. It was clear that she said something she shouldn't say.

"Mom? Dad? What's happening?" Bill asked, in a voice that said that he wasn't taking any bullsh!t from his parents. "Please tell us."

"Thomas Keane, Mary Kay Keane, go upstairs! Now!" Charlotte Keane, Bill's wife, ordered, and the two children ran upstairs with their toys.

"Tell them, Will," Martha said to her husband.

Sandy looked at her father, William "Will" Keane Sr., as he sighed. It really was serious then. She hoped that it wasn't as bad as they were making it to be.

"I always told you to never lie," her father began, with a wry smile. "We applied for a loan in Citiesville Bank. Basically, the new tractor and the new barn was bought with that money. We were going to pay for it after the harvest had been sold. Well, a monster's tail flying tail from Townsville flew and destroyed a lot of the crops last month. And the insurance had just expired, and we were looking for a new one. It happened during the period between insurances, so to speak."

Ms Keane really needed to have a talk with the Powerpuff Girls. They needed to be more careful on how they fight monsters. It could result in tragedies.

"And then the price of grain collapsed," Martha finished. "We have no way to pay the loan. And the bank will foreclose. We will… we will lose the farm."

"Dad…" Bill Keane began.

Sandy looked at her brother, William "Bill" Keane Jr as he struggled to speak.

"Dad, Mom," he finally said, "how long till it forecloses. How much?"

"One month to this day. And a hundred thousand dollars."

They were silent. They were not rich. They could not afford to pay the debt. What could she do? Maybe she should sell some of her expensive purchases? Maybe even sell her dream house? It was a sacrifice, but saving their parents' house was the priority. She could always move in with them again, since she could commute to her work in Townsville.

It was a bitter blow, but she made that decision right there and then. She would have to say goodbye to her home.

"Where would we get…" Bill began. Sandy knew that his brother wasn't in the best financial shape either. He had just paid off the mortgage of his own house in the suburbs, his wife was a homemaker, and his job, though high-paying, wouldn't pay enough in one month to pay off the mortgage on the farm. "Oh my God! I don't want to lose this farm! I grew up here! We can't let the bank take it!"

…

* * *

Ms Keane was sad as she drove home. What was supposed to be a happy occasion turned grim. They were going to lose her childhood home. Both she and her brother did not want it to happen. But what can they do? The harvest was a bust. Both she and his brother don't have the money to pay it off. They could take a loan. But she was already up in debt on her new home and her credit card bills. She groaned. How was she going to sell a house that's still mortgaged? The purchaser would have to pay a price that would pay off her debt, and enough left over to pay her parents' debt.

As she approached her home, midway between the city and the farm, she remembered she forgot to buy something. _Soap_! Of all things to forget! Luckily, she knew a convenience store that was still open at that hour. It was 9:45 p.m., according to the car watch, as she drove into the city. She went to the nearest convenience store, a _7-Eleven and_ purchased soap and other things that she needed as fast as she could.

As she was driving home, she drove past the library. It was 10:00 p.m., and she saw the Powerpuff Girls step out of the front door of the library. She immediately stopped and opened her window, and tried to shout, but before she could even open her mouth, three streaks of light flew off into the distance.

She was a second too late. Disappointed, she was about to close her window, but…

"Step out of the car, Lady!"

She turned her head, and there was a masked man, with his arm sticking inside the open window, holding a .45 handgun pointed to her face. His other hand quickly opened the door from the inside.

"I SAID, GET OUT!" he shouted, and a frightened Ms Keane could only comply.

"Please don't hurt me," she said as she stood up and was forced to face her car. A companion of the armed masked man grabbed her purse and began inspecting it as the first masked man grabbed her hands, pulled it behind her, and she felt the cold steel of handcuffs on her wrists.

She was thoroughly frightened.

* * *

 _ **44\. Butch's Solutions**_

…

Earlier in the night…

Butch was happy. It had been a long time since his craving for violence was satisfied. Sure, it was a tiny use of violence, but it was enough. The setting for the violence was a simple pizza robbery. They had perfected _their_ way of doing it. They would hang out outside the pizza place. Sooner or later, someone would order, and they would swipe the pizza from the delivery guy. Or if there would be no delivery, they would order pizza from the payphone, and then do the swipe.

Another idea of Butch! Use the payphone! In a phone booth! He saw it in the comics. It's the place where Clark Kent changes into his stupid costume to Superman. At first, he thought it was just a place to change clothes, but he later learned from other panels in comics that people really do make calls from there. And he learned too what a telephone was. Good thing the pizza place displayed their phone number on the window.

Even Brick didn't know it! Sometimes, reading comics was more useful than reading the dumb encyclopedias and reference books Brick likes to read so much! Once again, Butch came to his leader's rescue! Oh yeah, he's the _best_ leader assistant ever!

And so they stole the food as it was being delivered. And they stole not only pizza, but a bottle of soda and some plastic cups too.

And he got the pleasure of punching the delivery guy, knocking out his teeth in the process and causing him to fall asleep! It was fun, and it made him giddy and happy. It was such a pleasure connecting even his very weak punch to the man's jaw.

 _Violence! Violence! Violence_! Honestly, it was the best thing in the world.

It was a happy moment, followed by a happy meal, as he and his brothers settled in their shack. It was early, about five in the afternoon, since they wanted to go to the library as soon as possible.

Nothing could spoil the mood, until Brick showed his disappointment at the events of the previous day.

"This sucks," the leader said as the three boys ate their dinner. "I didn't think she would refuse us."

Butch on the other hand was happy that Ms Keane refused them! After all, he really wasn't crazy about being lectured by an adult. Sure, Butch, from watching her in the classroom, and from the way she talked, liked her, even admired her. But that does not mean that he would be okay with what Brick was doing. He really had to suppress his expressions of joy when the teacher said that they should pay her, and that she would not accept stolen money.

"Yeah. She seemed so nice," Boomer said as he took a bite out of his pizza.

"Why don't you just threaten her?" asked Butch. It was really so obvious. If Brick really wanted to the teacher to do what he wanted, he should have demanded it as his right. And if she refused? Well, Butch would show her what happens to anyone that defied the Rowdyruff Boys! They don't need their consent! They take what they like!

Brick seemed to have forgotten that lesson. Or he had gotten soft.

"Idiot! Could you not stop and think for a while, Butch?" the eldest brother said, glaring at his brother before hitting him in the head.

"Why? She'll do what you tell her to. What's wrong with that?" Butch asked, rubbing the part of his head hit by his big brother. Really, what was wrong with using threats? Brick was the thick one, not he.

"So we do that. We say we kill her if she doesn't. So what will happen? She will teach us for the night," the Rowdyruff leader began.

"And so, you get it!" Butch said, feeling smart. He was glad Brick was coming to his way of thinking.

"But then what? After we go to sleep, she would run to the Powerpuff Girls, and it would be all over!" he finished.

Oh yeah. That would present a problem. But why worry? They would beat up the girls if they dared showed their ugly faces. But Brick was in his crazy phase, the phase where he thinks that girls were better than them. So they had to avoid fighting the sissies. And look like cowards. He should knock some sense into his brother.

"So what do we do now?" asked Boomer.

"What can we do? I don't know!" Brick rejoined as he drank his soda. "How can we get some money and not have her think that we stole it? Should we get a job?"

Butch skin crawled at the very suggestion. Would he be like those idiots behind the hot dog stands or those selling popcorn? The _horror_!

He looked at his brother. "Please Brick, don't even joke about getting a job!"

"Who says we will get a job?" Brick retorted. "I'd rather die than serve at the command of someone else for a few bucks a month."

"Well, she also said that we could get someone who would pay her for us," his youngest brother said before he drank his soda.

"But who would be willing to pay for our education?" the redhead wondered as he bit another pizza.

Once again, the middle brother will have to rescue them! Where would Boomer and Brick be without Butch? His brothers were wimps. They were the Rowdyruff Boys! They don't ask! They take. Although he really shouldn't help them since he didn't want to be taught by a teacher. "We should just get some rich schmuck and threaten him to pay Ms Keane."

There! Simple. Direct. Effective. The Rowdyruff Way. Brick should thank him for that. He was that nice of a brother.

"And what would happen the moment we turn our backs? He'll tell her what we did, and then what?" the redhead snapped.

Oh yeah. We can't have teacher learn that they threatened someone to pay her. So they needed to get someone to pay her. But his leader was right. No one in their right mind would pay her to teach them.

If only Ms Keane would give in. Perhaps they should give her something ladies like? Like jewelry. Or diamonds. Lois Lane seemed to like diamonds. Clark Kent seemed fond of it. And thieves like to steal it too. Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spiderman, also likes to give diamonds to Mary Jane. Diamonds. Would Ms Keane like diamonds? But then again, she might think that they would steal the diamonds if they offered to give it to her.

* * *

 _ **45\. Diamonds are Forever**_

It's not like diamonds grow out of trees. It's not as if they can just create diamonds out of nothing. Or in Superman's case, out of coal.

Wait! _Superman made diamonds out of coal_! Wasn't coal cheap? He remembered having coal near the fireplace of Ms Keane. They could make diamonds out of coal in front of teacher. That would tell her that they didn't steal anything.

But can they make diamonds into coal? Well, Superman can. Can they? Butch reflected. Weren't they—the Rowdyruff Boys, basically Superman? Flight, super strength, super speed, laser eyes, x ray vision, super hearing! All powers of Superman, and all powers that they, the Rowdyruff Boys, have. So it stands to reason that they could also turn coal into diamonds! And as he recalled, all that Supes did was to put coal into his hands, crush it in his fists, and there were diamonds!

If they could do it, then surely, Ms Keane would be happy. All women like diamonds, right? Although why they liked it he does not know. It's just a rock that looked like a glass! Why would anyone want to own a diamond? They're useless bling, as his leader once told him. Who needs diamonds? But for some reason, females like them. Maybe because they are dumb. Bet the Powerpuff Sissies would love diamonds because they are stupid!

He should tell Brick. But should he? Butch was so sure that it would work that by telling his brother, he would be in effect, setting themselves up to be taught by Teacher Keane. Then he would be forced to listen to boring lectures, and such. They might not be actually going to school, but they might as well be.

He should keep this a secret. It's for their own good. Butch doesn't want to be a student. So why should he do anything?

He looked at his leader. His eyes and face were bitter. They were sad. They were not the happy confident eyes of the leader he knew.

It bugged him more than it should. He really wanted to keep this to himself. But seeing his leader like that…

Nevermind. He's going to make the ultimate sacrifice to help his brother. For Brick. He's hoping that his leader would be grateful for what he's about to do.

"Hey, maybe we can make diamonds, and give it to Ms Keane," said Butch. "We could make coal into diamonds in front of her, and then she could not say that we stole it."

Both brothers looked at him as if he was crazy.

"I think you're crazy," Brick snapped. "So explain yourself."

"Well Superman could turn coal into diamonds. Since we have all his powers, why can't we do that too?" he said.

"We can do that? Cool!" Boomer explained.

"We don't know that we could do that," said the redhead. "Show me how."

"I really don't know how we do it. How 'bout reading the comics where Supes did turn coal into diamonds?"

* * *

…

It was six in the evening, and the three ruffs were back in the library.

"So?" Brick asked, looking at Butch.

"Oh yeah. Give me a minute. I gotta find that issue," Butch said, trying to remember what comic did he actually read and see Superman turn coal into diamonds. He began to quickly scan comic after comic trying to find the elusive scene.

"C'mon! We don't have all day!" Brick complained as he watched Butch quickly turn page after page of Superman comic books.

 _C'mon! C'mon! Where are you! I know I've see it here somewhere. Where are you, where… There you are!_

There it was. Superman got a piece of coal, gripped it on his hand, and it turned into a diamond. It was in Action # 115, made in 1947.

"Here it is, Brick!" he said in triumph.

"So that's the trick you're talking about," said his leader, eyeing the scene. "But why? How?"

"What do you mean?" asked Butch.

He gave back the comic book, and looked around. He went to a set of books. _Encyclopedia Americana_ , Butch read, letter D. He floated over and saw that he was reading an article about diamonds.

"So that's why that trick works. If you apply enough heat and pressure on a lump of coal, it would make it a diamond. See, both coal and diamonds are made from carbon. And intense heat and pressure would be needed to turn it into diamonds. It also says here that diamonds are really valuable. So, where do we get coal?"

"Ms Keane has a bucketful of them next to her fireplace," Butch said.

"Well then, we better go and make another visit. Perhaps this will change her mind," he said, a small smirk forming on his face.

There was a noise. It was the front door. Brick turned to the direction of the front door, and his faced became white as he quickly turned off the lights. "Quick, fix your mess. It's those sissies."

Butch turned on his x-ray vision and he saw the girls. He quickly put back the comic books back in the shelves, before he and his brothers exited the place in a hurry.

The three boys quietly flew across town and went to the Townsville suburbs. They landed in a particular house at the very edge of the said suburbs, just besides Farmsville. It was the house of the teacher.

Butch swallowed. This would be it. He was half hoping that their little experiment would fail, so they won't have to be taught by Ms Keane. But he also knew that he wanted his leader to succeed and to have whatever it was Brick really wanted from all of this. Brick was his leader, his elder brother, and he would follow him to the death and beyond. After all, what was being tutored compared to the tortures of hell?

Besides, he already liked Ms Keane. If he was going to be under any teacher, he already knew that he would choose to be under Ms Keane.

He looked around, and Brick did too. They did not want anyone spotting them. Satisfied that no one's snooping about, Brick quickly went and pressed the doorbell.

Butch tingled in anticipation as he heard the sound of the bell. He's got goose bumps. He was really nervous. This was it. They would be students in all but name. He was dreading it. But he cannot refuse this to his leader.

He looked at the door, and waited.

And nothing happened.

"Is she home?" Boomer asked.

Brick looked at house, concentrating. "She's not home," he answered, "Use your x-ray and see for yourself."

Butch did just that, and the only thing living thing he saw was an orange cat.

"So what do we do?" asked Boomer. "Will we wait for her?"

"No. I won't waste my time," he snapped. "Tomorrow, we'll just follow her when she comes home from school."

That made sense. He really didn't want to do a stakeout. _Stakeout._ It was another word he learned in the comic books, usually done by policemen. It would be boring just waiting for something to happen.

They left the house, and went back to their shack…

* * *

…

It was about ten in the evening…

"It's about time!" the green ruff exclaimed upon seeing three streaks of light fly from the library.

The three were standing on the roof of a nearby building for about ten minutes, waiting for the three girls to leave the place where they would spend the night. Butch looked forward to lying on the soft couch. It was so nice and made sleeping much more relaxing.

"Hey, isn't that the teacher?" asked his blonde brother.

He looked at his brother, and looked at where he was pointing. Despite the darkness, he could see it clearly. There, in front of the library, was Ms Keane. Why was she standing outside, facing her car, with her hands behind her? And what were those two men doing? Were they dating her? But they were so rough and seemed to be doing something bad. Something evil. Not that Butch would disapprove. He was evil after all. But something was off. He didn't like what was happening.

"They're mugging her," Brick said, in a quiet and dangerous voice.

"That's bad, right?" asked Boomer.

Of course it was. The middle brother remembered the instances where the word 'mugging' was used in the comic books. It was bad. Should they save her?

"Let's teach those goons a lesson. Never mess with our teacher."

"So what do we do? Beat them up?" asked the green ruff.

"More than that, Butch. Kill them. And leave no evidence."

That really put a grin on the green ruff's face. Finally, some real violence!

"Let's go, boys!" he said as he flew towards Ms Keane.

"Yeah. Let's save her!" Boomer said, his voice full of concern.

* * *

 _ **46\. Saving the Night**_

…

She hoped that they'd just take her stuff and leave her alone. But why cuff her? Were they planning to ra… Oh God! She prayed as she never had prayed before, as fear gripped her entire being. She felt hands frisking her. Those rough hands went to her neck, gently unclasping her necklace. She could see the other robber grabbing her things inside her car. Would they steal her car? Please, she needed that to go home! Her home was very far way!

"Hey, you're Sandy Keane, right?"

She turned her head as much as she could, and nodded.

"How much would the city pay to have their precious Powerpuff teacher back?" the other robber began to speculate.

 _Oh Please no! Don't kidnap me! Don't hold me for ransom! Take my car! Take my money! But please leave me alone!_

"Leave our teacher alone."

Who was that? Was that? Brick? That can't be!

She looked at the source of the voice, and there, standing on the road, covered in shadows, were the three Rowdyruff Boys.

"Hey kid! Go home to your Mommy! It's way past your bedtime!" the robber behind Ms Keane shouted.

"We would, but we saw you pieces of trash harass this lady right here," Brick continued. "Let her go, give back what you took, and we won't kill you. Otherwise, say hello to Him when you get to Hell."

"Aw, little boy talks tough! Listen, go home. These are adults here! You're only kids. And you're not the Powerpuff Girls, so buzz off!"

"You had your chance," the redhead said, and he began floating.

"W-w-w-what? You're..." the other robber said, flabbergasted at the sight.

"Too late," he said quietly, his eyes glowing. "Don't say we didn't warn you."

A laser beam shot from his eyes, hitting the man behind the teacher.

"Butch?" the leader said.

"I'm on it!" he said, and Ms Keane heard a sickening snapping as she turned around. "Dead in one blow."

The other robber dropped what he was holding, and ran away. Boomer, however, blocked his escape route. "Where ya goin? You big bully you!"

The blond's eyes glowed, and laser shot out, going through his chest. He dropped to the ground, without any blood. The hole was cauterized by the laser.

Brick then got the two bodies, spun around, and threw it towards the sky. "That will clear the atmosphere and enter space," he said. "No body, and no sign of death. It would be as if he just disappeared from the face of the earth." He looked at the teacher. "You okay, Ms Keane?"

The teacher was horrified. He had just seen the Rowdyruff Boys kill two men. Two human beings. "Y-y-y-y-yyou killed them!" she sputtered.

"And? The Powerpuff Girls killed monsters on a regular basis. And they killed the three of us," said Brick. "And you worship them. As I was saying, you okay?"

"But… but they didn't know you'd die when they kissed you that first time," she tried to argue.

"Which is why they tried to kiss us again when we came back," Brick replied. "They were just trying to be nice right, and not trying to kill us by kissing us?"

Ms Keane was stunned with silence. She had no answer to that.

"Want to go home?" asked Boomer.

She nodded, unable to form words. The entire situation was overwhelming. She was dragged out of her car at gunpoint by two hoodlums, pushed her against it and cuffed, her things were stolen, then the most _unlikely_ rescuers came, and they cold-bloodedly killed, _murdered_ , the two. Was it murder? It was in the line of duty, but it's not their duty to save her! And they killed without any hesitation at all! It's as if it's no big deal!

She was gently placed inside her car, on the front seat, shotgun. The doors were closed, but the windows remained opened. She instinctively tried to close it, but when she tried, she was reminded of the fact that she was still cuffed. And she was too tongue tied to actually ask the boys to remove it. If they could! The keys were probably in space with the body. How long was she going to stay cuffed?

She could feel and see the car being lifted hundreds of feet into the air, and she could hear and feel the cold wind outside. She looked out the window, and was impressed. She looked back, and was mesmerized at the view of Townsville at night, all the bright lights of the skyscrapers silhouetted against the black background, blending seamlessly with the stars. She turned her head up. At that height, there was no light pollution, and the view of the stars was amazing. And looking down, she could not see anything but a few lights on. She guessed that the suburbs below were already asleep, in contrast to Townsville City center that never seems to rest.

In any other circumstance, it would have been one of the best nights of her life. She never had been this high above Townsville. She always wondered what it would be like to be a Powerpuff Girl and be able to soar the heavens like a bird. Thanks, ironically, to the Rowdyruff Boys, she knew.

Before she could enjoy it more, she felt the car lose altitude, and was gently lowered into the ground. She was at her driveway. The door was opened, and Ms Keane stepped out.

"Hey Ms Keane, why are your hands always behind your back? Are you hiding something?" Boomer asked naively.

Something about Boomer really reminded her of Bubbles. For a cold blooded killer, he was really so naive!

"My hands are cuffed," she said.

"What does cuffed mean?" he asked.

"It means he was handcuffed. You know, the things used by policemen to tie up criminals," said Butch as Brick went behind her.

 _Snap!_

Pieces of metal fell on the ground near her feet, and she felt the metal imprisoning her hands disappear. She brought her hands in front of her and rubbed her wrists.

"Thank you," she said. "Why don't you come in?"

It was an obligation to invite them in. After all, they did save her from a fate worse than death.

She went back to her car, and searched for her purse. All the things they took from her, the boys put in the back of the car. She was grateful for that.

* * *

 _ **47\. Diamonds!**_

…

It was really a strange and eerie scene. The Rowdyruff Boys were in her house, drinking hot drinks, and it was because she invited them in. They were in the living room, Ms Keane seated by the single seat couch, and the three boys holding mugs of hot chocolate seated on the long couch. Since she would retire soon, she did not bother making a fire in the fireplace.

"This is delicious, Ms. Keane! Way more delicious than any other hot chocolate!" Boomer said.

"Why thank you, Boomer," she said, before she looked at the other two. "And Boys, thank you for saving me."

The leader smirked. "Don't mention it. As I said, nobody messes with our teacher."

"Well yes… wait. Your teacher? I haven't agreed to be your teacher."

"But you will. You said that you needed to be paid if you were to tutor us," said the leader before he took a sip off his mug. "That's really nice, Ms Keane. I hope you could spare the time to make us more of this when you're teaching us. Where was I? As I was saying, you won't accept stolen money. But we won't pay you in stolen money."

"So how would you?" asked the teacher curiously. She knew Brick was up to something, and she was intrigued.

He put the mug on the center table, stood up, looked at the fireplace, and looked around it. He picked up a lump of coal besides the fireplace. He placed it on his hands, and squeezed it.

"What the?" he said as he parted his hands, and revealed…

Crushed coal.

There was a snicker in the room. Butch was trying to repress his laughter.

"I thought… It should've," he began. "Ms Keane, do you have a book about carbon?" he asked.

"How about an encyclopedia?" she replied.

"Okay. That's good too," he said.

What was that boy up to? Was there a point in this exercising of crushing her coal to dust? What and why was he doing this? Why was he so confident that she would change her mind and teach them? Where would they actually get the money if they were so confident?

She went to a room that she converted into a mini-library. _Encyclopedia Britannica_. She looked and picked letter C.

* * *

…

"Hm, so that's why I did it wrong," he said, more to himself as he read. Both his brothers and she were looking at him intently.

"What is he doing?" she asked his brothers.

"What superman did," Butch replied.

She shrugged as he put the book back on the table, and got another piece of coal. He put it between both his hands. His eyes glowed, and he began to slowly squeeze the coal between his hands, and at the same time, laser escaped from his eyes, and hit the coal.

All were quiet as they watched the scene. The redhead concentrated as laser poured from his eyes and the coal became red. She could see smoke from his hands as he carefully applied a tremendous amount of pressure.

He screamed as the coal really got hot and his superhuman skin began to burn.

"Bro, you should stop this. It ain't worth it," the green ruff said, concerned.

"Brick, your hands. They're burning!" she said, alarmed.

"No. It's so close. I needed to do this!" he said as he screamed in pain but refused to stop what he was doing.

He suddenly stopped the laser, and he fell on his bottom, panting, breathing hard. He was covered with sweat, and his hands were _horribly_ burnt.

But Brick's condition wasn't what caught her attention.

It was something in his hand. It was big. It was shiny. It was clear.

 _That's a diamond!_

"Did I do it?" Brick asked, his eyes closed, his voice indicating that he experiencing great pain, as he collapsed on the carpet.

"Yeah bro. That's a nice looking diamond," Butch said.

"I'm glad," he said as the leader, as he opened his eyes, and with effort and help from his brothers, got to his feet, and…

Stared at the big jewel in his burnt hand…

"Ms Keane. The diamond is yours," he said, handing the jewel to the teacher.

"Your hand!" she said, concerned.

"It'll heal. Just take the diamond," he said.

She looked at it, staring at it, trying to determine whether it was fake or not.

It was the real deal.

"If you teach us, we're gonna give you one diamond per day," he said. "That ought to be enough."

"That's… that's more than enough," she said as she stared before taking the said diamond.

"Keep it, it's yours," the leader said as he sat on the couch. "So, when do we start?"

"I haven't decided if I'll accept your offer."

"What?"

"I'm not sure yet. Please, let me think. This is a big decision. Come back tomorrow night, at about six in the evening."

"Okay Ms Keane," the leader said, very disappointed. "We're going back for your answer tomorrow."

Boomer and Butch floated, and Brick… tried to, but he ended up jumping. "My powers! What happened? I can't fly!"

"Looks like you exhausted yourself doing that," Ms Keane said as she went and got some bandages from a drawer.

"What are you doing?" asked Brick as she began wrapping her hands. "This will heal fast!"

That attitude will be the death of the ruff! He's just a little kid, thinking nothing could hurt him. Right after hurting himself just to be educated. How can she refuse him?

"I know you have super healing, but you need to keep this covered or it'll get infected, and you might get sick," she said, concern evident in her voice.

The leader looked at the teacher, and said, bewildered, "but why? Why care about my hands?"

 _Why shouldn't I care?_

"Because it's the right thing to do," she answered.

He nodded. "Thanks."

Both Butch and Boomer took one arm of Brick and placed them it their necks.

"See ya tomorrow!" Boomer said, before they flew away.

Ms Keane again was conflicted. She was really horrified by what they did, killing those two goons. But she was also thankful. The boys can act nice. They weren't totally evil. In fact, if she did not witness them kill the two men in cold blood, she would have thought that they were really not evil. But they did kill in cold blood. Or was it cold blood? After all, there was a reason. It was because they were trying to rob her and hurt her and kidnap her and to rap… Oh no, she tried not to think about it. She really owed her life to the boys. She can't really condemn the boys for what they did. And she wasn't really sorry for the two robbers.

She looked at the diamond in her hand. It looked like a real diamond. Was it really a diamond? She had some diamond jewelry, and it looked identical to the stones that she wore at special occasions. But what does she know? She was not a jewelry expert. Maybe it's just glass. She needed to have it appraised.

If it was a real diamond, then her financial problems would be solved at a stroke. She imagined being given diamonds every day she taught the Rowdyruffs. She would be rich!

Her thoughts drifted to the boys. Were the boys evil? Yes. Killing the two thugs confirmed that. But would they be irredeemable? No. Ironically, the same events show that they can do good things. They saved her, after all. She owed them her life and her virtue. And they killed them because of what they would do to her. Completely irredeemable evil beings would not bother to do heroic things. They were capable of doing good. Could they change?

What would happen if they did change? They would be successful in life, no doubt. The mere fact that they were superpowered boys would put them on a successful path to the future. They could do many jobs that no ordinary mortals could undertake. But Brick's ability to turn coal into diamonds would seal the deal. They did not know it yet, but the boys just hit the superpower lottery. They could, no, will, become very rich. And they could use their wealth for good.

The boys would be a tremendous asset if they were on the side of good. And it would be a blow for evil. The world would be a better place with the Rowdyruffs as heroes side by side with the Powerpuffs. It would be a waste if they would remain evil. And it might end in a tragedy for the world if the boys, as powerful as they were, remained villains.

The world cannot afford for the boys to remain evil.

The world cannot afford…

She began to think. If the world cannot afford them to remain evil, then they must become good. But how? And who will show them the error of their ways? Certainly not the Powerpuff Girls. The girls hold the boys too much in contempt to even attempt to try to change their ways. The boys hated them too much to ever trust them.

They needed someone they respect, someone whom they will listen to, someone who they will trust…

Maybe she could be it?

Ms Keane smiled. Maybe it was her destiny to be the agent of change of the Rowdyruffs. She would wean them from evil, and make them into great men who would change the world for the better.

Could she change them?

She needed to try. She cannot fail. For the World. For the Powerpuff Girls! And yes, for the Rowdyruff Boys. She needed to succeed. And if she succeeds? The rewards would be great. For her personally, for the boys too, even for the Powerpuffs, but most of all, for the peace of the world.

She could use her teaching to make them good. And she would make them smart. Yes, she would make the boys far smarter than any child their age. Even smarter than the Powerpuff Girls. And when the time was right, she would be sure that because of her new teaching methods, they would top the examinations, and show the superintendent, and the state, that her ideas work. And then they would implement the necessary changes in the school system. The Rowdyruff Boys would be the one to show them all!

And Ms Keane smiled as the prospect of being the teacher of both the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys filled her with glee. What a legacy she would leave to the city, the state, and the country!

She could already imagine the Rowdyruffs saving the day side by side with the Powerpuff Girls. All because of her.

How will she do it? She does not know yet.

But she will.

She will.

…

* * *

 _ **48\. The Deal**_

 _The next day, October 6, 2004, Wednesday…_

"Can you repeat that again?" she asked.

The jeweler, aged about 64, with a bald hair and blue eyes, at the pawnshop, holding the diamond in one hand, and a loupe on the other, looked at his customer. "Ma'am, this is worth $ _10,000_. According to my examination, it's a one carat diamond."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"It's real, Mr Weathers?" she asked.

"Yes. It's the real deal. You really lucked out, ma'am. There are a lot of fakes out there. But this one, this one's real."

"Well, I want to sell it. Will you take it?"

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Okay," he said, a big smile forming on his face. He got his checkbook, and wrote a check for $10,000, before getting the diamond and placing it in a secure safe at the back of the shop.

Ms Keane had a really big smile as she left. It was half past three in the afternoon, thirty minutes after she had left school. She was delighted that it was indeed a real diamond. All her financial problems would be solved if she accepted the offer from the Rowdyruffs. She imagined receiving diamonds every day!

But she was concerned about Brick. So he was able to turn one coal into one diamond. But it took so much out of the Rowdyruff leader! It burnt his hand, it drained his powers, and it weakened him. What if he wasn't able to regain his powers? She hoped that he would regain his powers. His powers were a special gift and a part of his being.

…

Later, at about nine in the evening…

 _Ding dong._

She opened the door and saw the three Rowdyruffs floating outside. "You're… okay," was the first thing she said as she eyed the leader.

Brick was fine. He was floating. He got his powers back. She looked at his hands. The bandages were gone, and there was no trace of any burns. He looked healthy, and there were no signs of any effect from the diamond-making the night before.

"Yeah. When I woke up, I was fine," he said. "I guess my superhealing kicked in."

"We were worried he would never recover," Boomer said, with a tiny hint of concern, as they came in. "But luckily, we're awesome! Superpowers are cool!"

"All I need is a good night's rest," said Brick as they settled on the couch in the living room. "So, are you gonna accept our offer?"

She looked at the three boys, and all three had a look of anticipation. Brick clearly was hopeful, Boomer was eager, while Butch was resigned.

"I will accept. I will teach you," said Ms Keane.

A big grin formed in Brick's face. "Really?"

"Yes. It would be an honor to teach the Rowdyruff Boys."

"YES! YES" he yelled and began flying around in circles. "Yes! We're gonna be smart! We're gonna be smarter than the Powerpuffs! Thank you, Ms Keane! Thank you!"

Yes, Ms Keane would make them smarter than the Powerpuff Girls. That was a promise she intended to keep. It would show those stuck-ups in the Education department that she was right.

Boomer was clearly happy for his brother, and he too joined in the fun. Butch was silent, his green eyes sullen. It was clear he wished that she had rejected the offer.

"Let's talk terms," Brick finally said after things had settled down. "First of all. _We are evil_. We're _proud_ to be evil. So don't lecture us or tell us we're wrong or that we should change to good. We are who we are, and nothing's gonna change that, okay?"

Of course they don't want to change. But she already anticipated that. The boys wanted knowledge. She would give it to them. But she would also change their attitudes and make them good, and they wouldn't even realize it. She would do it indirectly, subtly, and without challenging their beliefs.

"Of course. I won't moralize about being good and evil," she conceded. She would find ways. She would find ways to change their attitudes.

"And don't lecture us on how great the Powerpuff Girls are. We already know that. We're here to surpass them!" the Rowdyruff leader said.

"Don't worry. After we're done, you'll be way smarter than the Powerpuffs!" she said.

The boys would be her special project.

"Finally, we want to take the same tests as those girls. We want to know how we're doing, and we want you to teach us so that we would get higher scores," Brick said.

"That's reasonable."

"Please keep this a secret," he said. "We don't want anyone knowing about this. We prefer to surprise the world with our smarts!"

 _Not to mention they might arrest them if they knew, and they might try to stop me from teaching them. Yeah. This should remain a secret._

"And in exchange, I'll give you one diamond per teaching day," he said. "That should be enough."

"And in exchange, I have my own terms," said Ms Keane. "First, our sessions would be from three thirty in the afternoon, to nine thirty in the evening. Dinner of course is on the house. How many days do you want to be taught?"

"Every day, until we surpass the girls," the redhead replied.

"That's too much. I need a break. How about six days a week? We'll use Sundays and holidays as breaks," Ms Keane replied.

He was deep in thought, but finally said, "okay."

"Now, how I teach is my decision. You will do as I say, and you will keep a certain standard," she began.

"What do you mean? A certain standard?" he asked.

"Look. You want me to teach you. And therefore, I want you to do your part. If I ask you to read something, read it. If I assign homework, then do it. If I give a quiz, I expect you to get flying colors. My standards are simple. You must not fail."

"Oh. We won't."

"Don't worry. If you follow what I say, you won't fail. As for the other rules. I require you to listen to me. If I asked for someone to recite, I better have someone raising his hand. If I asked a question to someone, I'd better get a good answer."

"No problem, Ms Keane," the leader said.

"You must behave! No trouble! No burning of chairs or throwing mice on innocent girls!" she ordered.

"Aw, that was so much fun!" Boomer whined. "Okay Ms Keane, I won't!"

"We won't, right Butch?" Brick said, looking at his middle brother.

"We won't," said Butch.

"We'll start on Monday. That should give me enough time to prepare," said the teacher.

The boys nodded.

"And one more thing," she said, looking at their tattered clothes. She excused herself, went to their room, and returned with a measuring tape, a pen, and a small notebook.

"Whatcha doing?" asked Brick.

"Come here and raise your arm," she asked the leader.

He did as asked.

"I'm measuring you," she said. "You need new clothes."

"But our clothes are fine!" Boomer argued.

"No, they're not."

"But we clean them every week! We steal soap from the washers, and wash our clothes in the lake!" the blond ruff argued. "Washing it in the lake's fun! You make lots and lots of bubbles, and we get a bath out of it too!"

"And we dry them using our laser!" Butch finished.

"Or we just force the drycleaners to clean our clothes," Brick argued as their new tutor measured his body.

"Your clothes might be clean, and I commend you for washing your clothes, but they are torn and faded. Do you have any other clothes that you wear?"

"No. Why should we? The Powerpuff Girls only wear one set of clothes, and they only clean it too, right?" asked Brick.

"Yes, they wear identical clothing, but they have lots of identical dresses! Lots and lots!" Ms Keane said. She rolled her eyes. She really must have a word with the Professor about having his daughters wear identical clothes day in and day out. "So their clothes don't get worn down."

"Okay, but we don't like to wear things like those at school!"

"Oh you mean uniforms? No. Not that. Just ordinary clothes," she said, laughing.

"Well, our new clothes better be the same as our clothes," he said as Ms Keane finished Brick's measurements.

"Butch?"

"What?" the black haired ruffed replied.

"It's your turn."

"Go on, Butch," Brick said, and the middle brother floated to Ms Keane.

She smiled as she measured Butch. She was shocked by the fact that they only had one set of clothes. They really needed help.

…

"Okay Boomer, it's your turn," she said, smiling as she spied Brick going to their fireplace.

She began measuring Boomer as Brick put a lump of coal in his hands, and his eyes started to glow.

She hoped that he won't get any worse than he did the night before.

* * *

 **End of Chapter IV**

Please, please, kindly leave a review if you liked this story. Thank you!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _This chapter was spectacular as well! You capture the charachter so well! I think the Rowdyruff boys are going to kidnapp Ms. Keane and have her teach them and she in turn is going to encourage them to go to school. That would be fun :D I'm so happy to learn that you are continuing Allies and Rivals III after its been so long. I was once working on a project that I had abandoned, well, because life just seems to get in the way like that. And I really want to find the time to own my craft like you have with your ppg stories. I haven't read your other fanfiction yet but I guess I'll check them out. Thank yooouuu! YxYY Lover 3_

Thank you. Yeah, I tried to make to capture their true characters, although they won't stay static. They would change and evolve, but any changes will have a reason for it. As for what will happen with Ms Keane, this chapter answers that. They won't try to kidnap her because Brick knew that it would be counterproductive. And they haven't gotten yet on the stage where they would be kidnapping people, as most of their crimes involve beating up the Powerpuff Girls and committing petty crime.

As for Allies and Rivals III, yeah, I'm still trying to revise it.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** ,

 _Your stories are a work of art. Keep on writing :D_

Thank you very much. It always brightens my day to receive such comments. And I will!

* * *

To **Zerodius,**

 _I am glad to see this story continue. Really like the progression and also the way Brick's character is slowly diverging from the others._

Yup. Brick understood the weakness of the boys against the girls. And that is the girls were way smarter than the boys, and that was why they kept winning against the boys. He's trying to remedy that problem.

 _While there's always been a small divide between the head of the two trios and the other two members, Bubbles and Buttercup do not trail behind Blossom to the shee extent that Boomer and Butch trail behind Brick ; Blossom can actually rely on Buttercup for "eureka" and direct solutions she wouldn't think up otherwise and Bubbles's innocense and kindness can lead to alternate solutions and angles that she also wouldn't think up otherwise. By contrast, Boomer and Butch are actually stupid brutes who rely entirely on Brick to make up every single plan and every detail of every plan._

Well yeah, right now, they are stupid brutes. They did not see the need for any education unlike their eldest brother. However, they certainly appreciate the comics and the stories that they were reading, which would pay dividends, as this story, in the case Butch, would show.

And yeah, right now, they would rely on Brick planning every single detail. Though they were not incapable of giving suggestions, like Butch did by suggesting making coal into diamonds.

Slowly but surely, Brick's aim is to raise the intelligence levels of not only himself, but of his brothers as well. And yeah, they are slowly gaining smarts. The mere fact that they are reading, even if comic books and fairy tales, meant that their vocabulary would increase, and in Butch's case, know many things about superheroes and powers.

 _On the long-term, this is the big point that Brick is probably starting to pick on. The girls are physically weaker... now. But it's unknown how their powers will grow with time. And they're a balanced team that benefit from each element. The Rowdyruff Boys are more physically formidable but their past defeats and the current trend show that on the long-term, they'll hit a ability & skill ceiling faster._

Well, the boys' powers could grow too. Basically, they are on par, with the boys having a advantage in the strength and power department, but this is more than offset by the girls' intelligence. But if the boys become smarter, the girls would have to become stronger, but the boys could also grow stronger too, especially as they also tend to fight each other physically for fun, as the next chapter would show.

 _Brick actually trying to address the core problems of his group improve himself is quite interesting._

Not only himself, but also his brothers too. He knew that if his brothers fall behind, they would drag him down with them. And he wants them to be as smart as their counterparts, at least.

 _One thing that the latest chapter made me think of..._

 _Mojo Jojo, their original creator (and de-facto father), is incredibly and endlessly smart. And is also a genius who was shown to be an excellent if abrasive teacher in at least one episode. Though it does lead me to wonder how HIM would react ; HIM resurrected the boys solely to kill the girls and is likely not to react well when the boys get out of the boundaries of his plan._

Mojo Jojo will appear sometime in the story. I can't tell you now, but he will have a big role in the resolution of this story. As for Him, yeah, he would also have a role, but it's in the future too. And as for the boys getting out of the boundaries of his plan? Right now, the aim of the boys is still to destroy the girls but through getting smarter than the girls.

 _Though rejoining with Mojo and learning under him would make them far better villains on the long-term (and make them less pure brutes), it would also means that HIM would lose control over them... something that he might not appreciate at all given his ego._

 _But well, this is all tangents I guess._

As for rejoining with Mojo, things may or may not happen in the future. I can't say more without giving spoilers.

 _So far, you're definiteily still doing well and I look forward to the next chapters! I also need to get to posting stuff of my own too..._

Thank you very much for the reviews!

* * *

To **Carriedreamer** ,

 _Oooh- now this was a hilarious chapter and I just so easily can see this as what any "continuation" of the PPG "should" have been like- it matches so well with the canon of the show as we saw- and I love- love- LOVE this._

Thanks Carrie! I love this show. And I'm so honored that the great Carriedreamer is reading and reviewing my story! It was so awesome, that I just can't stop reading your review! And yeah, I tried to base it on what happened on the show before, and I want to see how I could develop the boys into something else but do it logically, and slowly. And see how it affects their relationship with the Powerpuff Girls.

 _I've been remiss in not leaving a review until now but I simply must say there isn't a thing I don't like about this: It is hilarious- I can see it playing out like a true PPG episode ( original run- not the 2016 run: that's an insult to you if I were to say such a thing- though I kind of wish you had been in charge of the "official continuation" of the show as the reboot is being called- this week- they seem to change their minds every episode timeline wise - but not the place for ranting - apologies..I just really hate the reboot... and I especially loathe the Gary Stu being shoved down our throats as Blossom's love interest- uggggh- she's fiiiiiive why does she even need one?- err this is verging on rant- my apologies- interlude over - back to review XD )_

Thanks. As for the reboot, I haven't seen an episode yet. I'm too busy. And I've read reviews before I decided not to watch it.

 _So Brick's characterization in this: Genius. Pun intended. XD - he is FABULOUS: Yes I am biased- Brick is my favorite Rowdyruff Boy of course but I love- love- LOVE his characterization here. His realization he is indeed "dum" and he needs to fix this to compete with the girls ( Blossom ) is so on point and so hilarious to watch err read but like I said I can "see" this as a show- I can picture everything- the scenes in the library are utterly HILARIOUS- the girls are going to be in for a big surprise when the "sheets" go off sooner or later- I can see Boomer being the one to expose them- tripping over his own shoe or something hehehe- he's so delightfully dumb here but oh so sweet and Butch- Butch is comedy gold: The brothers' relationship and mentality is a joy to behold- its just so natural and readable._

Thanks. Brick, I have to say, thinks that he was smart. Even when he was spelling dumb as "dum." So yeah, it really hit hard when he found out his inadequacy. The library scenes were funny. Pretending to be ghosts I got from Scooby Doo, since I wanted the girls to interact with the boys as the boys tried to gain knowledge from reading in the library. As for the "sheets" going off, maybe, maybe not, you'll see. I can't say more without spoilers.

 _And the antics in the classroom- genius. Poor Buttercup- poor poor thing. And Harry. That can't have been pleasant for Mr. Pitts. And Mitch torturing little Mike! How dare he! -Ugh Princess starting trouble again- what a surprise-And Robin even makes an appearance yay! XD This group of rambunctious kids I hope are going to be featured more as well- but I'm also biased- I loved the original supporting cast in the show as much as the original characters ( It was just a well put together show what can I say ) so Ms. Keane has her hands full thats for sure._

Yeah. Poor Buttercup. It's just that she was sitting at the back, and thus, was a natural victim of Boomer's mischievousness. Especially as Boomer was a bit bored just standing in the roof and listening to the teacher. I mean, what should Brick have expected? As for Harry Pitt, yeah, it was not pleasant, but Boomer did not actually hurt him, as he was fine after it was all said and done. Most of the unpleasantness was psychological and mental. It was SCARY of all concerned. Princess, yeah. She's the troublemaker and I really enjoyed writing the scene with her and the mouse on her head and crawling all over her. Mitch would have a big role soon. As for Mike, maybe. And yeah, I really enjoyed all the kids in the Pokey Oakes kindergarten, so I've got to bring them back for first grade. I mean it's a bit unrealistic that all of them would be in the exact same class, but I don't care! I don't want them to separate ever!

 _Speaking of Keane... are the boys going to kidnap her? Why am I getting the feeling they're going to try to kidnap her..or at least "try" to. They "need" a teacher after all XD- That's not going to go well and however they intend to get a teacher... I can only guess the antics that will follow- hehehe._

This chapter answers that question. Ms Keane would have a very very very big role in this tale. No, they won't try to kidnap her. They're too much "innocent" to try something as sophisticated as kidnapping. Only Butch would probably get the concept, and only because of reading comics where someone was kidnapped. Boomer too when he's reading some tales where kidnapping occurs. But not Brick! He was too busy reading science and English and Math books to really know what kidnapping means. They know, at this point, of beating up others, of killing someone, of stealing, of grossing out the girls, and such. The only kidnapping they knew was Boomer being kidnapped by the girls! And they can't imagine doing that since they didn't try to make Boomer do anything while he was captive.

And Brick knew that forcing Ms Keane to teach them would be futile.

 _To sum it up- I love this. I love this story. Again I apologize for how long this review took and also to apologize for my rambling but its wonderful- my favorite "childhood" centered PPG story to date for sure! :D_

 _Best of luck on all your writing adventures!_

 _Cheers,_

 _Carrie_

Thank you very much, Carrie. It's such an honor to have you as a reader!

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _What a great chapter! It was funny! Brick's really trying to learn, isn't he, and he's already competing with Blossom! How nice! Princess deserved what she got. Getting urinated on by mice! I can't think of a better fate for her!_

 _Too bad his brothers messed it up for him. Still, what did he expect from them? He can't just expect them to just stand and listen and not be board!_

 _And I wonder what did he mean by needing a teacher?_

Yup, he's trying to learn, so he can be better than the Powerpuff Girls. And yeah, Princess got what's coming to her. And Brick didn't think his plan through, though. This chapter answers what he meant by needing a teacher.

 _All in all, a great tale! Hoping for more!_

Thanks.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _Thanks. What a Great chapter!_

Thank you, John.

To **Akum,**

 _Teacher uh, really, I really liked you Dr. Edward character as tutor, but now I wonder, who will this be?... Hope you'll update soon!. Have a good day!_

This chapter answers your question. It's Ms Keane!

* * *

And thanks to all of those who made this story your favorite, and those who follow it as well.

Thanks to you all for inspiring me to continue with this tale, my dear readers!


	5. II-Names

I'm sorry for the long delay in update! I was very busy, so I had not time to write and polish this chapter. Fortunately, Christmas Break had given me time to do this. Hopefully, my updates were be frequent from now on.

Hopefully, this chapter will make up for it!

Okay, it's time to start the real story. The first four chapters were really just an introduction to the real meat of the story. Basically, my aim in this tale is to see the development of the Rowdyruffs under the influence of Ms Keane, but with the added caveat that the Rowdyruffs must want to be under her influence. The first four chapters would set it up, and give a reason for the events happening.

Now Book I is over. Let's go to Book II.

* * *

 **An Education For Power**

The Rowdyruff Boys are being tutored by Ms Keane as a way for the boys to gain smarts and at the same time, avoiding school. Chapter 5. Brick Jojo. Boomer Jojo. Butch Jojo. Three familiar names. But how did the acquire their family name Jojo? And what's a shower? And good manners? And the Powerpuff Girls learns that their teacher is tutoring three mysterious young boys their age.

 **Book II**

 **Learning From Teacher**

* * *

 **Chapter V**

 **Names**

* * *

 _ **49\. Ms Keane, Rowdyruff Tutor**_

 _Sunday, October 10, 2004…_

Ms Keane looked at her basement. She smiled. At one end was a blackboard. Then there was a large table with a chair on a raised platform. There were three smaller chairs facing the board, with corresponding tables. It was like a tiny classroom.

Perfect.

Teach the Rowdyruff Boys! It was all so surreal! She still can't believe it! Add in the fact that she was being paid in diamonds! She must have been dreaming. She was teacher to both the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys!

 _Imagine that!_ Nobody could claim better students than her. It's as if fate had put into her hands the future of Townsville, since she would be given a chance to mold the futures of the six most powerful beings of the city, if not the world!

It was enough to make her feel really proud. She felt the same way, about a year ago, when she was informed that she would be teaching the Powerpuff Girls in kindergarten!

...

" _I'm gonna teach the Powerpuff Girls?" she asked, astonishingly. "You want to enroll your Powepuff Girls in my kindergarten class?"_

" _Why yes, Sandy," Professor Utonium said, smiling._

 _..._

She felt, that time, to be the most fortunate kindergarten teacher in the world. She would be known as the Powerpuff Girls' first teacher. Now, she would be the Rowdyruff Tutor.

What an honor! What an opportunity!

 _What a burden._

She only hoped that she was equipped for the task at hand. She was not worried about her professional qualifications—after all, not only was her teaching credentials impeccable, but she was also a professional tutor. She actually tutored for ten years before she started teaching kindergarten.

She wondered how would it be to tutor villains? She, after all, had taught the Gang Green Gang before, but this was different.

Very different.

Whatever will happen, their arrangement was starting to pay dividends for her.

She had just sold her two diamonds. The second diamond was made by Brick last Wednesday. Like before, his hands were burnt, and he got exhausted and lost his powers. She hoped that what he was doing won't have negative repercussions on his well-being. It was clear that the process hurt him.

That only increased her determined to do her best.

The two diamonds netted her $20,000. She set aside $15,000 as payment for her parent's farm's mortgage. Won't her parents be thrilled when they find out that they won't have to leave the farm? She set aside $1,000 for her credit card payments and for her own mortgage. The rest of the $4,000 she spent on purchasing materials for her new task.

Text books. New clothes for the three Rowdyruff Boys. Tables. Chairs. Notebooks. Pens. Drawing books. Paper. Pencils. Crayons. Rulers.

The Rowdyruff Boys would be her greatest challenge!

Not that it would be hard to make them smart as the Powerpuff Girls. Her interactions with them showed her that they had potential to be very smart, especially Brick—he was not talking like a typical six year old kid. He reminded her of Blossom. He was mature, smart, and calculating. All he needed was some book knowledge, and knowledge of the world, and he would be _frighteningly, astonishingly,_ intelligent.

As for Boomer and Butch, she had not had any meaningful interactions for her to form an opinion. But if they were like their counterparts, they could easily learn.

Despite the Powerpuff Girls' low opinion of their intelligence, the Rowdyruffs were easily equal in potential to them. They would underestimate them to their peril.

No, the challenge for her was to make them _good._ She wanted them to stop being evil. But how? Brick directly forbade her to teach morality and to tell them what was right and what was wrong. How could she find ways to go around it?

Her first task, of course, was to gain their trust. It would be relatively easy step to make since they already trusted her enough to let her teach them, and to give diamonds every day in exchange. That meant that she must comply with all their conditions, as long as they comply with theirs.

Maybe she could ask for advice? She went upstairs and dialed a number on the phone.

"Hello?" Professor Utonium answered.

"Hello John," she said.

"Sandy! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Listen, I need your advice," she said.

"Okay. Go on," he replied.

Should she tell him directly? Considering that he's the father of the Powerpuffs, she decided not to.

"Could you keep this a secret?"

"You can trust me, Sandy," said the Professor. "As long as it doesn't involve cats!"

She frowned. She did not like him making fun of Valentino. That's the reason their "love life" ended up so disastrously. The cat…

"John, don't be mean!" she snapped angrily.

"Aw, I'm sorry," said the Professor. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."

"Well, I wanted to ask you…" she hesitated. Should she?

"Yes?"

"Well, I wanted someone to change. Well, let's say from evil to good. But I can't tell him directly that he should stop or that's he's wrong, or he'll stop listening," she asked.

"Hm. That is something. Ordinarily, I'll tell you that you should have a long talk with him, but that won't work. But he listens to you, right?"

"Well they asked me to teach them, so they won't remain ignorant," she said.

"They? So there's more than one?"

 _Damn. I shouldn't have made that slip._

"Well yes. They wanted to learn, and they chose me. So how could I tell them to become good?"

"Hm, well, I don't know," he said truthfully. "I guess the best way is to do it indirectly, since you can't do it directly."

"How?"

"Well, can you tell me who it is?" asked the Professor.

"This is only hypothetical, so there isn't any name I could give you," she replied.

"I think the best way is to really get to know them, and show them that you care for them," he began. "That way, you will know what makes them tick, and then, you could start from there."

"Thanks John. That was… really helpful."

"Anytime, Sandy," he said.

…

Teach them indirectly. She already knew that. But how? She did not know. Still, John's advice was good. Know the boys better, and to make them trust her. But how? She guessed that she'll have to play this one by the ear, and let things happen. She just hoped that she wasn't making the biggest mistake of her life.

* * *

 _ **50\. Fighting For Fun**_

…

 _The next day, October 11, 2004, Monday…_

Brick opened his eyes. It was about six in the morning according to his stolen watch. It would be the first day of being tutored by Ms Keane.

He was already excited. Not only for himself, but for his brothers. Speaking of brothers, he decided it was time to wake them up. After all, they had a fight to do before going to school.

"Wake up, you two," he said, shaking both his brothers, who were still sleeping.

"Go away!" Butch said.

"You know it's time to fight!" he whispered.

 _"Fight? Fight!_ Yeah!" Butch said, suddenly becoming fully awake. "Wake up bro! It's time to fight!"

Boomer yawned and scratched his head. "Fight? Oh yeah!"

"Easy now, you two," Brick said. "Winner would do breakfast, okay?"

"Shouldn't it be the loser who does that?" asked Boomer.

"'Cause the loser would be too banged up to cook, stupid," he said, hitting his brother in the head. "Let's head for the clearing so we can decide who's gonna fight who and who's gonna be referee."

Both his brothers nodded, and the three flew to a clearing in another part of the forest. They didn't want to accidentally destroy their home in the fight, after all.

The fight was a reward to Butch. Brick was so grateful to him for thinking of the "coal into diamonds" idea that he just had to give something to the middle brother. And since Butch wanted violence, he would give Butch violence. But not against innocents. That would alert the Powerpuffs, and he was not yet confident of their ability to beat them in a fair fight. And it might end in disaster even if they did win. Ms Keane might even change her mind and not teach them!

So how could they have violence without doing violence with anyone? By doing it to _themselves!_ Brick read something about boxing and wrestling from his reading in the library, and he decided, a friendly fight would not only be fun, but would also be great training. They could know each other's strength and weaknesses, know their fighting styles and develop new strategies to counter each other. Hopefully, that would lead to better results in fighting the Powerpuff Girls.

He was excited!

Even Boomer was enthusiastic about the fight. But Butch was deliriously delighted! He wanted it the most. After all, his middle brother _craved_ violence!

And so, he shall have it.

Unless, of course, he drew the short straw.

"Okay. Let's draw straws. The one who drew the short straw would be the referee."

"Please let it not be the short straw! Please let it not be the short straw!" Butch said as they drew straws. Butch drew first.

It was a long straw.

"Yes!" he shouted, flying around like a lunatic.

Boomer was next.

It was a long straw too.

"Yeah!"

That meant that Brick was the one with the short straw. He opened his fist. Short straw. He would referee the fight between his brothers.

Well, this won't be their last fight.

"I'll fight the winner!" Brick challenged.

The other two nodded.

"Okay, go to your positions. As for the rules. Well, there are no rules. The one who gets knocked out loses. Or gives up. Everything goes."

Both his brothers went into position.

"I'm gonna kick your butt! You'll be putty in my hands, lil bro! You'll be like Lex Luthor against Superman!" Butch shouted.

"Yeah? Well, I'm gonna be the cat, and you're gonna be the stupid mouse!" Boomer replied.

"BEGIN!" Brick shouted, and the two went at it.

Boomer, who was faster, got the first punch in, burying his fist in Butch's stomach. It didn't faze Butch though, who was physically stronger than Boomer. He grabbed that hand, and swung the blond boy around into the ground, before letting him eat some laser from his eyes.

"KA BLAM!" the green ruff shouted, laughing as he watched his brother get lasered.

Boomer shouted a bit in pain, but managed to extricate himself from his predicament, and put some distance between him and his green eyed brother. But Butch was relentless. Boomer quickly formed an energy ball, and threw it at the middle ruff.

 _Big mistake, lil bro! Energy attacks are not a good idea against Butch_.

The toughest ruff simply made an energy shield, harmlessly dissipating Boomer's laser. He then charged his brother.

"WHAM!" he shouted as Butch punched Boomer in the jaw with his left hand.

That hurt the blue eyed ruff, who fell to the ground, and spat blood on the dirt. Butch was on him before he could even stand, and kicked him in the stomach. "BAM! ZOIK! KAPOW!" Butch shouted as he hit his brother.

Boomer doubled up in pain, but tried to retreat. His superior speed enabled him to flee his brother. "What are you saying?" Boomer asked, more bewildered by his brother's lines than his actions.

"Well, this are the sounds of villains and heroes kicking butt in the comic books! ZOOM!" Butch said right before he attacked his blond brother.

Boomer used his speed to dodge Butch's left hand, and then gave him a kick to the back of his head.

"Ouch!" Butch shouted as he was hurt, a little. "You're gonna pay, you brat!"

He quickly tried to bury his head on his brother's stomach, shouting "KERSPLAT" as he did so, but Boomer was able to avoid it, and the blond put his hands together and slammed his fists on the back of Butch as Butch missed. "BLAM!" Boomer shouted, imitating his brother making comic sound effects as he did so.

Brick was just a few feet from them, silently watching the two, analyzing the fight.

 _Nice going, little brother. I thought you would be no match, but you're putting up quite a fight!_

The green ruff landed hard on the ground, and Boomer followed up with his laser attacks. He formed an energy ball. His blue eyes glowed, and shot laser at the same time that he threw the energy ball. "VROOM!"

Boomer's grin was wiped off his face when Butch just managed to put up his energy shield to intercept the attacks.

 _Really Boomer, don't bother with energy attacks! It will only fail with his shield of his!_

"Oh I'm gonna beat you up, you meanie!" Boomer shouted, letting himself fall, readying his fist to beat up the supposedly weakened Butch.

 _That's a bad idea, Boom. Butch is not easily hurt. You should remember that you're physically weaker than him. Use your speed! And why aren't you using your bat?_

Boomer began beating on Butch, hitting his brother repeatedly on the head. "Take that, and that, and that!" he shouted. He backed off when he thought Butch was unconscious.

* * *

 _ **51\. Fight to the Finish**_

"Brick, I won," he said, pointing to his seemingly unconscious brother.

 _No you didn't! Butch is still awake, you idiot!_

"Not yet!" said Butch, spitting blood from his mouth. "That didn't even tickle!"

"I'm gonna finish you off!" Boomer, flying to him, ready to punch, shouted, but Butch blocked it.

The green ruff then gave a punch to Boomer's gut, knocking the wind out of him, shouting, "BANG! BANG! ZOOK!" as he did so.

 _And just like that, it's over. Nice knowing you, Boom._

Butch followed up with a kick to his back, "BLAM!" sending Boomer high in the air. Butch followed, and slammed his head on his stomach, causing the blond ruff to spit more blood. He grabbed him in a bear hug, and began headbutting him.

He headbutted him about five times, before letting go, with a very weakened Boomer landing with a thud on the grass. Boomer struggled to stand up. He was badly beaten up.

"Give up, brother?" Butch asked.

"Me? Never. You're just as badly beaten up as I am!"

 _No he's not, idiot! Butch is tougher than you, Boom! You can't out-tough him!_

"I'm glad you said that," Butch said, grinning. He suddenly charged, and despite Boomer's defenses, gave the blond a sickening uppercut to the jaw, and a powerful kick to the back of his head, shouting "YAH! BAM BOOM!" as he did so.

Boomer fell to the ground.

Brick as referee looked over his youngest brother.

He was unconscious. It was over. "And the winner by knockout! The Baron of Berserk, Butch!"

"Yeah! I WIN! I WIN!" he shouted like an idiot as Brick picked up his youngest brother.

"So how do you like this fight?" asked Brick.

"Oh my God! It was incredible! It was the most fun I've ever had! I love it! Fighting him is much better than fighting any of those useless weaklings!" Butch proclaimed, twitching uncontrollably. He then laughed in joy. He was really happy. " _Let's do this again! Let's do this again_!"

"Yes, but one fight a day only. Remember that we've got to prepare for our first day with Ms Keane, and I don't like it if we're too banged up to show up, okay? Boom will heal fast enough," Brick replied, carrying his youngest brother, as they flew to their shack. "And breakfast is on you, Butch!"

"As long as I get to fight like this, breakfast, lunch, dinner is all on me for the rest of my life!" he said as he changed directions, presumably to hunt. Brick continued to the shack.

…

It was about ten in the morning, about three hours later…

"Oh. My aching head," Boomer said as he walked out of the door of their shack. "What happened?"

Brick turned his attention from the wild boar that was roasting over the fire to his youngest brother. "You lost."

"Oh. Well that was fun," he said, laughing a little. "I never had that much fun since I beat up Princess!"

"You beat up that Morbucks girl?" asked Brick. "Since when?"

"I mean Bubbles. When I say Princess, I always refer to Princess Bubbles," he said.

"You mean you enjoyed the beating I gave you," Butch, who was turning the pork over the fire, said, with a grin on his face.

"The fight was fun. And I hit you too! I'll get you next time! You got lucky!" Boomer said.

Brick became really envious. Both his brothers had fun. Even Boomer. And he was not the violent type! He really wanted to have a go at Butch one of these days. He was sure he can beat both of them.

"By the way, Butch, what was with those words? Bam? Wham? Kersplat!" the leader asked.

"Only the most awesome sound effects for fights! You should read more comics, Brick!" the middle brother boasted.

 _Comics, huh? Still stupid, but whatever makes you happy, go for it._

"Think you can still go to Ms Keane for your lessons?" Brick asked his younger brother.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Boomer said, laughing. "Hm, pork? That smells good!"

"You excited for it, Boom?" Butch asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I haven't been taught anything by an adult before. This would be the first time. And I really enjoyed watching Ms Keane teach when we're at school, so yeah," Boomer replied. "Aren't you excited?"

"Not really," Butch said. "Sounds boring."

"Aw, don't be like that, Butch," said Brick. "Aren't you excited! We're gonna be better than the Powerpuffs! You're gonna be better than Buttercup!"

"We're already better than them," Butch grumbled as he got put out the fire. "But if you believe that this would make us much better than them, then I'm gonna go along."

"Well, next time I'm going to fight you," said Brick, changing the topic. "And I'm going to beat you up!"

"In your dreams! You may be the leader, and you may be a good one, but I'm the toughest, and I'm gonna grind your face to the ground! You're gonna be sorry you ever even thought of fighting me! Remember, I'm the Berserker! Butch, Baron of Berserk!"

"Keep hallucinating," Brick chuckled. "I ain't Boomer. I am the Master Masher, the Bludgeoner!"

* * *

…

 _ **52\. The First Day of Classes**_

Later that afternoon, at about 3:20 pm…

 _Ding Dong_

Having pressed the doorbell, Brick, Boomer and Butch were standing outside the house of Ms Keane. They were all waiting, excitement, anxiety, and dread being felt on all three boys.

Brick had difficulty containing the butterflies in his stomachs. This was it! Everything that he had been working for during the past few weeks would lead to this. It was such a giant step forward, that he cannot comprehend the awesomeness of his situation. In fact it was so awesome, that he felt that he could get cold feet and back out…

No, he had sacrificed too much.

"Are you okay, Brick?" asked his blond brother.

"Yeah. All I need is a good night's sleep," he snapped, feeling the diamond in his pocket, and looking at his now completely healed hands.

He remembered last week. Creating diamonds from coal was exhausting. Painful. Literally painful. He never knew it would be that hard. He had to squeeze the coal with just the right pressure that it won't just crumble, and put _huge_ amounts of heat from his laser eyes, concentrated on a tiny area of his wrists.

He resisted the urge to just scream his head off. It was that painful. And the only reason he stopped was that his powers gave out. He was literally powerless when it was all over. He was covered with sweat. The skin of his wrists, impervious to almost anything, was covered with third-degree burns.

He wanted to kill Butch for suggesting it in the first place.

But it had been worth it. He was able to create the prettiest diamond he had ever seen. And he saw the look on Ms Keane's eyes. He knew that that would change her mind.

As for his powers and his burnt hand? Nothing that a good night's sleep and Chemical X couldn't heal. So when he woke up in the morning, the burns were gone, and he had all his powers back. The only thing that limited the diamond making process was that he literally could only make one diamond per day.

He had already made a diamond the night before. He decided that it was better to do it just before he slept, so that he won't have to rely on being carried home by his brothers from Ms Keane's house. That had been embarrassing.

The process was painful. The lessons better be worth it.

The door opened, and the blue-eyed teacher greeted them. "Boys! You're early! Come in, come in!"

The boys walked in the house, where he saw several appliances on the living room. There was a big black box with glass in front of it. What was it called again? Television? And the carpet on the floor felt so soft, so nice, that it made the mere act of walking a pleasure.

"Wow! Is that TV?" asked Butch, pointing to the black box.

"Why, yes it is, Butch!" replied Ms Keane with a hint of amusement on her voice.

"Cool. I've only seen them on comics, and in front of stores," he said.

"What's a TV?" asked Boomer.

"You know, the box where people get their news. That's how superheroes nowadays get their news. Unlike before, where they had to read newspapers," said Butch.

"Very good Butch. But not only news, but also entertainment. Like sitcoms, or cartoons, or game shows."

Brick felt very ignorant. He had no idea what Ms Keane was talking about.

"Um, what is a sitcom?" asked Boomer.

"Or a cartoon?" Brick asked, at bit embarrassed.

"Well, they are shows you can watch on TV," said Ms Keane. "But we'll talk about TV later. You can check it on the net if you want."

"Why would we want to check a net if we want to find out? 'Cause it's mainly used to catch fish," Brick asked, a bit stupidly. He really was showing his ignorance, but what can he do? He was ignorant of a lot of things.

"No, not a fishing net. What I'm referring to is called the internet, and I'll explain it to you later," said Ms Keane, a sigh could be heard in her voice.

"Wow! What's that?" asked Boomer as he went over to what appeared to be a large wooden box standing against the wall, with white things in the middle with black in between some but not all the whites.

"That's called a piano, and the white things are called keys. If you press it, you will hear sounds."

Boomer pressed a key.

There was a pleasant sound. He clapped his hand, and went to the very end.

He pressed the last key. The sound was very low. Then he pressed the key next to it. It was still very low, but a little bit higher than the last key. Then he pressed the next key. It was a bit higher. Then the next key, and the next key…

He did it until he reached the key on the other side, the last key producing an extremely high-pitched sound.

"That's so fun!" he said, clapping his hands as he looked at the piano. "Oh I know!"

He began to play the piano. And despite not having tried to play a piano before, he was actually playing good music. It was a familiar tune. He heard it when they sneaked and watched baseball or football games at Townsville Stadium. But he, the oldest brother, was just flabbergasted at how flawlessly he played the instrument.

"You haven't played piano before, right?" asked Butch. "I haven't seen you do it!"

"No. It's my first time," he said, looking at the instrument.

Their tutor was flabbergasted. "Impossible. You just played the National Anthem. That's the _Star Spangled Banner_! How did you?"

"Oh it's easy," the blond boy said. "I pressed the keys from lowest to highest, remembered the sound each key makes, and I remembered the tune from the game, so I simply pressed the key to the tune."

And he thought he, Brick, was the smartest. How did Boomer get so gifted with the piano and music?

"You had piano lessons before! Because you can't just play piano for the first time and play a tune perfectly after just pressing the keys once!" Ms Keane said, shocked.

"But the keys are so simple. I simply pressed it from the lowest to the highest, and it came to me," said Boomer as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Wait here," she said, and got a circular disc from her drawer. "Listen to this, Boomer."

She put the disc in a contraption. "This is called a CD player. And this is a CD," she explained.

There was music that played. It was similar to the _Star Spangled Banner_. "That, boys, is called _Star and Stripes Forever_. Could you play it, Boomer?"

Boomer went to the piano, and began to play it. And he got it! Every tune! Every note! How did he? Unless Boomer had been sneaking off, he had never had even seen a piano before this day.

He looked at the others. Even Ms Keane was shocked, flabbergasted at the gift Boomer was showing. "Boomer, what is Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do?" she asked.

"That's funny! What is it? Haven't heard of it? Is it some kind of food?"

"Boomer, what is the key of G?"

"I suppose that is what you need to open to door to G."

"And what are musical notes?"

"I dunno. Why would music have notes? They don't even have pencils, so how can they take notes?"

"Oh my God! That's a really awesome gift. You, Boomer, are a very gifted musician, and you don't even know it," said Ms Keane.

"What's a musician?" he asked. "Is it some kind of food?"

"No Boomer. It's a person who does music," she replied. "So before anything else, you need a change. But before that, you need to have a shower!"

* * *

 _ **53\. Clean Clothes**_

"Shower? What's that?" asked Boomer.

"Well, it's kinda like a bath, but instead of going to a tub, water would fall from a tube, like rain," said the teacher. "We shower to get clean."

"Oh! Like bathing!" Brick said. "But we already did that in the lake this morning, after we had breakfast!"

"But this is different. Who wants to go first?" she asked.

Brick looked at both his brothers and seeing that they were apprehensive, decided to be first. He raised his hand.

"Okay Brick, follow me," she said, and led him upstairs to a bare room. Ms Keane gave him a piece of cloth.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That is a bathrobe. Take off your clothes, and wear that," she instructed. "Call me when you're done."

He was curious about what was going to happen, but if this was part of being taught, who was he to argue? So he stripped, carefully folded his clothes and put on the bathrobe. "I'm finished!" he yelled.

Ms Keane entered, and led him to what he later learned was called a bathroom. It had white walls with white tiles, and a big bathtub besides the wall. She opened the door to a tiny box shaped room with translucent glass. At the top was a tube that opened up like a funnel, and various taps in the middle. "This is a shower room," she began. "You can adjust the hotness and coldness of the water. You see this knob? If you turn it towards the red, it becomes hotter. Turn it to the blue, and it becomes colder. There's the soap and the shampoo. You know how to use them?"

"I know how to use the soap," he said.

"Well, you use the shampoo to clean your hair," she explained.

"I think I can manage," he said, looking at it, and he heard her leave the bathroom, and close the door.

He removed his bathrobe, and closed the shower room door. He turned the tap. Water came out of the tube.

It felt nice.

He never had showered before. So this was a nice experience. He looked at the knob. He turned it to the red sign.

The water became warm.

Now that felt really good. It was so much nicer than dunking himself in the lake! It was… fun! The sensation of warm water against the skin…

Surely, if water at this temperature was nice, turning it all the way to the end would really make it really nice?

He turned the knob to the hottest setting possible.

Big mistake!

 _Ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!_

If his skin wasn't that of a super being, it would have been burned. He jumped and immediately turned the knob back to warm.

Now that was more like it.

He applied the soap. That was no problem. He had done it in the lake. In the first time, he used Fuzzy's soap. The hillbilly had been kind enough to teach them how to use it since the boys "reeked" according to the hillbilly. Afterwards, he regularly stole their supply of soap.

Next is the shampoo. How do they use that? Ms Keane said that they should be used on the hair. So he got the bottle, put a portion on his wrists, then spread it all over his scalp.

It felt nice. Much better than mere soap.

…

All in all, it was the nicest experience he ever had. It was his new favorite pastime!

He opened the door to the bathroom, and Ms Keane was waiting.

She smiled. "Follow me."

Not having any choice, he did. They walked back to the empty room where he left his old clothes. Except there was another set of clothes besides his old one.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I bought you new ones," Ms Keane said. "I did tell you, you need new clothes. And as I promised, I got you identical ones to your old outfits."

Brick look at the new clothes. It was the same. Same color. Same type. Same fit. Except better. The red was brighter. He looked at his old clothes besides it. The old clothes were clearly faded. So much so that the red was more like… _pink._ He shuddered. He was going to look _like Blossom_! The horror!

That was enough reason to get new clothes! The red was still red!

And the new clothes lack any holes, hanging threads, torn parts, stains. Comparing the two, his old clothes really looked like rags.

"W-why?" he asked. "Why bother with clothes?"

"Because you need it," said Ms Keane. "You looked like street children, not proud superpowered beings. If you want to be better than the Powerpuff Girls, you need to look the part. How can they take you seriously if you looked like ragamuffins?"

Brick admitted that she had a point. He realized that his looks were not at all… intimidating. He realized, he realized, that he looked rather pitiful, contemptible even. He was not an equal, but someone who they looked down to. He was ashamed of how he looked. "Thanks," he quietly said.

"You're welcome. I trust you can dress yourself? Be fast. Boomer's next."

The red ruff nodded.

Ms Keane left him alone. He closed the door, and changed into the new clothes.

He looked at the full length mirror on the wall. He really looked better. He looked cleaner. He looked more dignified. He looked like a Rowdyruff. His red cap and shirt were back to its original hue. And his hair was better tamed than before. He can't believe that he did not shower, or use shampoo, or even changed clothes before!

Already, Ms Keane was delivering on her promise to make them better!

Still, something rankled upon him. Was she giving it out of her generosity, her pureness of heart? Then he had to _reject_ it. He does not want to _owe_ anything to anyone.

He went down, spotted his tutor, and spoke. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept the clothes, Ms Keane. I don't want to depend on charity."

"Charity? No, no. This isn't charity," Ms Keane said, soothing his pride. "The money I that I used was from the sale of the diamonds."

"But the diamonds are yours. And if you sell it, then everything is yours," said the ruff.

"Look. All of this cost money. The tables, the books, the clothes. All of this is part of your education. Where would I get the money? From the sale of the diamonds, of course. Only after deducting all the costs would there be profits, and that's my salary for this job."

"Huh?"

"Consider this. The clothes that you are wearing is paid for by your money. All that's left after I bought everything necessary for your education would be mine. So not all of the value of the diamond is mine. Part of it is necessary for all of this."

"Oh! I get it now!" Brick exclaimed. He never had any idea that teaching cost money by itself. He always thought Ms Keane needed money because teaching was a job, and a job needed salaries. Otherwise, why teach the boys for free when she can get another job?

"Yes. In school, the students, or more accurately, their parents, pay for their clothes used in going to school, for their lunch, for their books, for their notebooks, pencils, crayons. In this case, I would be your surrogate mother as well as teacher, so I will be the one to buy all those things for you," she explained.

That mollified his pride. Her explanations made sense. He was actually paying for all of these! The clothes he was wearing was actually his! And Ms Keane just delivered it to him! He was not depending on charity. His pride was still intact.

"But wouldn't the cost of all of this be more than what you could get for that diamond? I mean, that diamond won't cost much more than a hundred bucks, right?"

"Believe me, Brick! The cost of all these is just a small fraction of the value of one diamond," she explained.

That put his mind at ease. He didn't want to beg, to be at someone's mercy. He was glad that Ms Keane did not accept his offer the first time, before Butch discovered the ability to turn coal into diamond. Not only would that mean that Ms Keane would be impoverished by teaching them—how could he have been so selfish? Well he was evil—but that would also put him in debt to Ms Keane.

He was still evil! But he knew what gratitude was. And he was very grateful to his teacher for not only agreeing to teach him and his brothers, but also in saving their pride by not teaching for free.

What was Brick thinking in the first place when he just barged in and asked her point blank?

Was he expecting that she would just say yes?

He was stupid. He didn't know any better during that time. Of course he would make such an idiotic decision! Not too long ago, he can't even spell "dumb"! He needed to be rescued from his own idiocy.

What a pathetic loser he's turning out to be. Hopefully, Ms Keane could cure his idiocy.

* * *

 _ **54\. The New Classroom**_

…

Later…

He looked at his brothers. Boomer's clothes were again dark blue. He never realized it but Boomer's outfit before the shower was faded, and almost the same color as Bubbles'. Gone were the tear of his clothes, the holes, and the hanging threads. His blonde hair was combed more neatly, and became even more lightly colored. He looked like the Boomer of old, the Boomer that defeated the Powerpuff Girls before! The Boomer before they left Him and went to live with Fuzzy.

Him. Him.

Brick wondered whether it was the right decision to break free of the creature that brought them back to life. He did not like Him. Him was an aberration, an abomination! Him might have revived him, but something about the devil gave him the creeps! He put them through Hell, literally, for the privilege of being alive again! Fail, and they were not only dead, but inexistent! And they pulled through! They survived. And triumphed too! In a way that exceeded all expectations. Yet they could have easily been erased from existence. They were bloodied, beaten, hurt! Brick could not love or even respect such a creature!

And their reward for doing so well? Aside from being resurrected, they were given cootie shots. Which was effective as it immunized them from the kisses. If he had left it at that, things would have gone peachy! True, it might have been harder, but they wouldn't have shrunk. But Him decided to "adjust" the cootie shot so that they would actually grow when kissed! It seemed an invincible weapon but backfired spectacularly when the girls found out about their weakness.

They were also given elementary lessons. At first, Brick thought that Him knew everything! That's why he felt so smart. If there was one thing Him did right aside from resurrecting them, it was giving them an education. But it was lacking. Severely lacking. That was why Brick was here.

So he left Him. It wasn't a hard decision. The moment they were on earth, alive, nothing bound them to him. Except…

He shook his head. Him owned their souls! That's the bargain that they did in exchange for their lives. But owning their souls does not mean a thing once you're alive. Only when they die again would they have to face the consequences, right? He was free as long as he lives…

Right?

So he was free. Where would have they gone? Go back to Mojo? But Mojo betrayed them! Him said so, and Brick had no reason to doubt him. Really, the only reason that the boys let Him and Mojo argued over their custody was because it amused them, and both of them repelled them. So what then?

They stumbled upon the forest after that first defeat against the girls after their resurrection. Brick loved it. And to their luck, there was the shack of Fuzzy. So they tied him up, and took over. Unluckily, Bubbles somehow found it, but after that, they didn't bother them. The shack and the lands around it was enough for their needs, and they had no need to ever leave it. Should they abandon crime, they most probably would just settle on the forest, living off the land, not doing any work if they could help it.

And now they were inside the house of the teacher of their worst enemies. Funny how things work out.

"Hey bro, are you okay?" Butch said, cutting through his thoughts.

"Yeah, you were out of it!" said Boomer.

"Oh I'm just thinking," he said, not actually lying. He looked at Butch.

His middle brother also looked much better. His green shirt was back to its dark forest green color. Gone too were the tears and the holes. His hair was spiked upward, like before. He looked even more menacing than he was before.

"Why aren't you three very handsome boys," Ms Keane cooed. "If you aren't evil, I'd imagine many girls would crush on you."

"Ah, they better stay away! They have cooties! And we don't wanna explode like last time!" Boomer shrieked. "I'm never stopping being evil if that's the case!"

The teacher only chuckled before he said, "follow me."

She walked further into the house, to a corridor leading to the kitchen, but instead of proceeding to the said kitchen, turned left, and opened a door. The door led to wooden stairs leading downward. It was a basement. It was dark.

Then there was a flick of a switch, and the lights came on.

He was impressed. And his brothers, he imagined, were too. His eyes were as big as saucers as they looked around.

The teacher had set up the room as a small classroom. There were three small chairs and tables in the middle, all facing the wall, where a blackboard on wheels was standing. The walls were decorated with learning materials, like a map of the United States, the portraits of US Presidents, the letters of the alphabet, the first ten numbers, etc.

"Now class, I want you to take a seat," she said.

"Where would we take them?" asked the blond brother.

"I meant you go and sit in one of the chairs," she said.

Brick went for the middle one. Butch sat on his left, Boomer on the right.

"This is where we will be conducting the tutorial sessions," she announced, standing in front of the blackboard. "First off. Let us introduce each other. I am Ms Sandy Keane. I am a teacher. I teach kindergarten before at Pokey Oakes Kindergarten. I now teach at Pokey Oakes Elementary. Among my students are your enemies, the Powerpuff Girls.

"Here are some rules. Do not speak while I'm talking. Listen to what I say. Every word is important. If you want to say something, raise your hand. If you have a question, raise your hand too. I will not tolerate you talking to each other while I am speaking. And there would be no fighting or any other rowdy behavior, pun not intended, of course. As for the other rules, I'll tell them as we go along. So, any questions?"

"Um, what if we need to go to pee?" asked Boomer.

"Just raise your hand and ask permission," she said.

* * *

 _ **55\. What's a Family?**_

"Any other questions? Good. Now you introduce yourselves. Let's start with you, Brick."

That was his cue. He stood up, just as he saw the kids in the classroom stand up. He held an inexistent microphone as he prepared his introduction. "I am the M-m-m-m-master M-m-m-m-masher! The D-d-d-d-d-duke of Destruction! I am the K-k-k-k-k-king of Crushing! I am B-b-b-b-b-b-b-brick, the Bludgeoner!"

 _Oh yeah! I am so great! Brick the King, the Bludgeoner,... is awesome!_

"Yeah! Go show him, Big bro!" Butch shouted as he stood up.

Brick made the introductions. "And now, allow me to introduce the middle brother!"

Butch stood up, looked at Ms. Keane and grinned. "I am the B-b-b-b-baron of BERSERK! B-B-B-B-BUTCH!"

"Go Butch!" Boomer shouted, waving his hand.

"And now, my youngest brother!"

"Aw Brick, do I have to?"

"Yes you do."

"Oh okay." He stood up. "I am dumber than the dumbest! Boomer!"

"Boomer, don't say that!" Ms Keane admonished.

"But I am dumber than the dumbest! Brick and Butch says so!"

"Shame on you," Ms Keane said, sighing, looking at the older ones. "Okay. I'm glad you told me your monickers. Now I want you tell me your full names."

"Full names?"

"Yes. First name, middle name, last name. Like for example, me. I am Sandy Keane. Sandy is my first name. Keane is my last or family name. I have no middle name."

 _So that's what those second and third names are called!_

"But we have no middle or family names. We're just known as Brick, Boomer, and Butch," said the eldest ruff. "We don't need it. We just need one name."

"You really don't need a middle name. But I'm afraid you need to have family names," said Ms Keane.

Why would he need a family name? Brick by itself was good enough!

"What's a family name?" asked his youngest brother, asking the question that both Butch and Brick wanted the answers to.

"A family name is the name of a family," the teacher started. "It denotes the family where you came from. _Traditionally,_ the family takes its name from the father, and when a woman marries, takes the family name of her husband. For example, my name is Keane because my father's name is William Keane."

"Do we need a family name?" asked Butch.

"Yes you do," said Ms Keane. "You need your family name for all kinds of things, which I will tell you later."

"So those kids at school didn't choose their second or third names," the redhead said.

"And usually, they can't choose their first name either," she concluded.

"But we chose our first name! I chose my name as Brick, and so did Boomer and Butch!"

"Well, that's because you were born already five years old. Babies can't exactly choose their own name. But even the Powerpuff Girls had their names chosen for them by their Professor."

"Yes Boomer?" she asked as his youngest brother raised his hand.

"What's a family anyway?"

"Well, the family is the basic unit of society. Technically, it's a bunch of persons closely related by blood. For example, a husband and a wife, and their children are considered a family. But sometimes, it could encompass other relatives like uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and even distant cousins! And sometimes, there's no blood relation needed, like when adoption occurs. Adoption happens when parents legally takes someone not their blood to be their children."

"Oh," said Boomer.

"A family is where one experiences close love and affection, and where we care for one another because we're family," she said, trying to explain it.

"So are the Professor and the girls family? I mean they are not related by blood," said Brick.

"Technically, they are not, but in all other respects, they are family," said Ms Keane. "Professor Utonium created the Powerpuff Girls. Thus, he is their father. It's like when the mother and the father create their children. Here, only the father creates it with the help of Chemical X. So yeah, I would even say that Professor Utonium is the father of the girls. That's why the girls have the Professor's last name."

All three brothers nodded in understanding. "So would that mean that we are the sons of our creator?"

Ms Keane looked at them, and said, "Yes."

"So Mojo Jojo is our father!" said Boomer. "What about Him?"

"Who?" asked Ms Keane.

"Him! The devil himself," Brick said. "He resurrected us. Can he be considered our father?"

He hoped that it was not so. He was their father, Him said so. But after what he put them through…

"Well, legally speaking, no," said the teacher. "You see, the state does not recognize resurrection at all. So if you are alive, and then you were alive at a later time, then the law would not consider you to have died in between, even if you did die!"

"Huh?" Boomer asked, confused.

"Consider this. A lot of people were pronounced dead in the hospital. They died. And their deaths at the time were recorded. Yet many of those suddenly came to life five minutes after, or even twenty minutes later. Legally speaking, they were never considered dead," she explained. "Now, of course, you stayed dead for a much longer period than before. But you are alive now. The law considers you to have never died at all. In this case, Him is not a parent, but he's like a doctor who brought you back to life."

So they need not consider Him as a father! That was such a relief. So that meant…

"So Mojo is our only father," said the leader, "since like Professor Utonium to the Powerpuff Girls, he originally created us. Without him, we would not exist."

"Yes," she said. "Mojo Jojo is your father."

He agreed with his tutor. He might not be as fond of the monkey as the Powerpuff Girls were of the Professor, but the leader had to admit, without the monkey, they would not even exist. Him would not even have the chance to revive him if it weren't for Mojo. Mojo, for all his idiocy, was their father!

They even called him Pops! Oh the memories of that glorious first day, before it fell apart when the girls…

Kissed them…

* * *

 _ **56\. The Jojo Brothers**_

"So we need to take his family name," said the redhead. "But what is his family name?"

"That is a good question. I believe that Mojo Jojo is his first name. But what would be his last name? Does he even have a last name? All the newspaper accounts call him Mojo Jojo, or Mojo. Sometimes, he's referred to as Mr Jojo," she mused. "Maybe Jojo is his last time? But I'm not sure."

Is Jojo his last name? It doesn't matter to Brick. All he knew was that if he needed a family name, he needed something to mark his creation. He needed to show his gratitude. So Jojo it would be.

"Well, Jojo would have to do. Brick Jojo is my new name!" he proclaimed. He liked the sound of that. "And my brothers are now Butch Jojo, and Boomer Jojo. We are the Jojo brothers!"

He had to admit, Brick Jojo does sound cool.

"I'm Boomer Jojo! Cool!" the blond brother expressed, obviously pleased with his new surname.

"Butch Jojo is awesome!" the middle brother added. So his two brothers liked it. And that settled it. They are now officially the Jojo family. Yes, including the monkey. But not Him.

But that does not mean he would come crawling back to his father! No, it's just a recognition of their origins that they acknowledged him as family.

"I'm glad you have complete names," said Ms Keane. "Although you could add middle names if you want, it's not strictly required."

"What are middle names?" asked Boomer.

"They are names in between the first name, and the family name," said Ms Keane.

"Oh! So Pinky has Catherine Lynn as a middle name!" said Brick. "Wait a minute! She had two middle names?"

"If by Pinky you mean Blossom, yes, she has two middle names," said Ms Keane.

"So how did they get their middle names?" asked Boomer.

"Well, they didn't have middle names at first," Ms Keane began. "They were just plain Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles Utonium. Then the Professor decided to give them middle names, to help distinguish their things since he sometimes use initials. B. Utonium could be very confusing. So he added it. But he wanted normal names for middle names."

"Normal names?"

"Well, common names is a better term for that," the teacher continued. "Naturally, the girls gave suggestions, until it was decided that their middle names should have the same initials as their titles."

"Titles?" Butch asked.

"Yes. Bubbles is the Joy and the Laughter. J or L. She chose J, and since Joy is also a name, Joy became her middle name. Very fitting too, if you ask me. Buttercup is the toughest fighter. T or F. It was T. Buttercup didn't like any of the common names starting with T, so the Professor chose for her. So she became Buttercup Therese Utonium."

"And Blossom chose two middle names?"

"Yes. Though Buttercup claimed that Blossom chose two because she's the leader, and thus, needed two names," said Ms Keane. "So she's commander and the leader. C and L. Thus, Catherine Lynn."

"Well, let's do it then," said Boomer. "I am Dumber than the Dumbest. So that's two D's. What's common names starting with D?" asked Boomer.

"Hm. David. Daniel. Derrick. Douglas."

"I wanna be David!" he said.

"Okay. So you're Boomer David Utonium. Boomer D. Utonium. That's nice! How about you, Butch?"

"Well, I am the Baron of Berserk. So mine has got to start with B."

"Let's see. Common names with B. We have Bryan. Benjamin. Benedict. Bernard. Bruce."

"Bryan then."

"Okay. Butch Bryan Jojo. Butch. B. Jojo. B.B.J. That's nice," she said. "How about you, Brick?"

So his two brothers played the same game as the girls? If he was playing that game, which title should he choose for his initials? Let's see. Master Masher. **M.** The Duke of Destruction. **D**. The King of Crushing. **K** or **C**. The Bludgeoner. **B**. D and B were already taken by his brothers, and thus, was out. So it would be M, or K or C. M was also the name of Mojo, so that's out. K or C it shall be. What did Pinky choose? Oh yeah, she chose C and L both since having two middle names was a sign of importance. So should he. After all, he was the leader, the King of Crushing. So that should be K and C.

"Teacher, I'd like to have two middle names. K and C. For King of Crushing!"

"K. Keith. Kenneth. Kevin. C. We have Charles. Christopher. Calvin. Caesar. Clark. Craig."

"I'll get Kenneth Charles. I'll be Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo. Or Brick K.C. Jojo. Or B.K.C.J.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's do another roll call. Can you please stand up and one by one, introduce yourselves?"

Boomer stood up. "I am the youngest rowdyruff. They call me dumber than the dumbest! Maybe I am. But I am a Rowdyruff, and that makes me better than anybody else. I am B-B-B-B-BOOMER D-D-D-D-David J-J-J-J-J-JOJO!

He sat down. Butch stood up.

"I am the middle ruff. But I am the toughest, and the most violent! I am greater than Superman, Spiderman, Dr Doom, and Lex Luthor combined! I'll kick your butt if you disagree! I am the B-B-B-B-B-B-BARON OF BERSERK! B-B-B-B-B-BUTCH B-B-B-B-BRYAN JOJO!"

After Butch was finished, the leader himself stood up. He grinned. It was going to be the best ever!

"I am the eldest. I am the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys! That makes me better than my brothers!"

There was boos from his brothers.

"I am the smartest and strongest. I am the M-M-M-M-M-MASTER M-M-M-M-MASHER! The D-D-D-D-D-D-DUKE OF DESTRUCTION! I AM THE KING OF CRUSHINGGGGGGG! I AM BRICKKKK KENNETH CHARLES JOJO THE BLUDGEONERRRRRRR!"

He felt as if part of their identity was complete. They had family names. They now understood that he and his brothers were family. And they had middle names! How cool was that? They knew more than ever who they were. They were the Rowdyruff Boys, and they were also the Jojo Brothers, part of the Jojo Family.

* * *

 _ **57\. The Test**_

"Before I can start, I want to know how much you've learned," said Ms Keane, getting a bunch of papers, grouped into three, held by a wire at the edge, which he would later learn was called a staple.

"What are we going to do?" Boomer asked.

"I have been lenient, but after now, if you want to ask a question, I want you to raise your hand first."

Boomer raised his hand.

"Yes, Boomer?"

"What are we doing?" he asked. "What are those?"

"You're gonna have a test."

The blonde paled. Butch seemed scared. Even Brick was not sure. Surely, their new teacher won't throw them to the wolves! Though in truth, Brick could easily kill any wolf, but that's beside the point! He was sure that he could answer, but what of his brothers?

"Don't worry. It's not graded. It's a diagnostic test. I want to know how much you know, so I can know what I'm going to teach you," she explained as she gave the tests to the three students.

"But we don't have any pencils or pens," the blond whined.

"Don't worry. I have you covered," said Ms Keane after giving the papers. She went to a cabinet besides the wall. She retrieved three sharp pencils. _Eberhard Faber. Mongol_. He gave one to each ruff.

"Oh and could you please not write your Rowdyruff Name on the name portion? I might check it outside, and if you write your names, people might stumble upon it and find out what we're up to," she asked.

"So what should we write as our names?" asked Brick.

"How about your middle name and your family name?" Ms Keane suggested. "Brick here, for example, could write, Kenneth Charles Jojo. Nobody would even find out it's you if they stumbled upon it."

That's right. So he wrote Kenneth Charles Jojo on the name part. He looked at his new name. He really was proud of it.

He began reading the questions. Multiple choice. English was easy. So was history. And geography. Math, he struggled with, though he was sure the answers were correct. Then there was problem solving. It was not multiple choice.

 _Bob had three apples. His friend Charlie, who had fifteen apples, gave him seven apples. How many apples did Bob and Charlie had afterwards?_

He knew the answers, but how should he present it? There were about five math problem solving questions.

Then there was the essay portion.

 _Explain why there is day and night in not more than five sentences._

 _What do the police do?_

 _What is the Declaration of Independence?_

Then of course there was the final part. _Draw your favorite place or thing._

Draw. What was his favorite place? He drew the forest where Fuzzy's—correction— _their_ shack was. It wasn't hard. It's just a bunch of trees with a house in the middle.

Suddenly, a box of crayons was put besides his test paper. He looked up, and saw the teacher smiling. He smiled too.

He sucked at coloring. He was able to color within the lines, but otherwise, his work of "art" was atrocious! The best that could be said about it was that it was "serviceable".

…

It was about three hours later that they finished. It was really long, and Brick only noticed when he raised his hand and gave the paper to Ms Keane. His brothers were not yet done.

"Just wait for your brothers to finish, then we'll have dinner," she softly said as she got his paper.

Dinner. It was the first time he noticed the aroma of something delicious. He wondered what it was. Smelled like pork that he often smelled in restaurants.

…

Finally, the exams were over.

"Oh my head aches!" Boomer whined as Ms Keane got his paper. "Drawing is fun, but other than that! Oh my aching head!"

"That's because you ain't reading comics! A lot of the things I answered because I read comics!" Butch boasted.

"Now boys, this is just a diagnostic. This won't be graded. I'm sure that once you've learned, you'll ace your future tests," she said. "Who wants to have dinner?"

That elicited a cheer from the three hungry boys. "Wait here. As I said, dinner's on me. Well, on you since your food was part of the cost and that's coming out of the diamond. I really want you to eat upstairs with me in the big table, but we want to keep this a secret, and someone might turn up and see you."

"So how's the test?" asked Butch, looking at Brick.

"Not that hard," he said. "The math took longer than expected, but only the problem solving."

"Don't remind me! Problem solving was the worst part!" Boomer ranted.

"Nah. It's drawing. I hate drawing," Brick shot back.

"Are you kidding me? That drawing was the best part!" Boomer defended.

"Nah, it's not that. It's the essay! Comic book characters don't speak in essay! I don't know why I should write an essay too!" the green ruff asserted.

Butch and his stupid comic books! Sometimes, Brick's beginning to wonder why he's even bothering with their education? Why should he care if they're so obviously dim?

Why?

Because they're his brothers, and he needed them to be smarter than their counterparts at least! But they're certainly not making it easy!

But he must try. He must have his revenge of Pinky and her sisters! They needed to be taught a lesson!

* * *

 _ **58\. Evil Manners**_

The door opened, and Ms Keane entered with a tray of food. It was pork, as the smell had confirmed, but it was not an entire pig on a stick that they often ate at the woods. Instead, it was perfectly sliced into thin strips. It certainly looked much better than any attempts they did at home. Around the pork steaks were some kind of yellow round and green leafy things too.

"Who likes pork steaks? With potatoes and lettuce"!

 _So that's how they're called. We gotta learn how to make steaks from pigs!_

Ms Keane and the boys placed the three tables together so that it formed one long table. She covered it with a white table cloth and placed the food on it. She set four plates, with a knife and a fork besides each of the plates.

The three boys and Ms Keane sat around the table, with Ms Keane at the head of it, Brick at her right, and Butch and Boomer at her left.

Butch got the knife besides the meat and was about to grab the food with his other hand when he was stopped by the teacher.

"Butch! Your manners!" she admonished.

"Manners?" he asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Oh. You don't know how to eat with manners?" she asked.

"Um, is there a proper way to eat?" asked the red ruff, his hand on a knife ready to pick up a piece of meat.

"Yes, there is," said the teacher. "You want to be polite, and you want to show the world that you have manners."

"But we're evil!" Butch argued. "We don't do that."

"Being evil and being impolite and boorish are not the same!" said the teacher. "Butch, could you tell me your favorite villain?"

"Um, Lex Luthor?" he said, thinking a bit. "He's really evil!"

"Well, Lex is not only evil, but is also polite and well mannered," she said. "Because of that, many people are attracted to him, and follow him despite his evilness."

"Oh yeah! Lex did use fork and knives when he eats, and he always talks in a funny but right way."

"Correct. You see, being evil depends on what your goals are. Not on your manners and such. I mean, some of the most evil persons in the world have impeccable manners! And some of the good heroes are boorish and have no manners at all!"

That was something new to Brick. So being evil does not necessarily mean acting all disgusting and boorish?

"So why do we need to be polite and have manners?" asked Boomer.

"Because if you do, you would become better than the Powerpuff Girls," she stated. "You do want to become better than the Powerpuff Girls, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they are well mannered and polite. If you become even more mannered and polite than they are, you become better than they!" she said.

"Well that makes sense," said Brick, thinking. Who knew? Well, if Ms Keane said that they should be polite and have manners, they should be polite and have manners! After all, they were better than the Powerpuff Girls, right?

"So how do we eat in a polite way?" asked Boomer.

"Well," Ms Keane started, "this is a fork, and this is a knife…"

…

 _It was nine thirty in the evening…_

"Well, it's late," said the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, looking at the clock in the basement. He took something out of his pocket. "And this is for you."

It was a diamond that he had created the night before.

Ms Keane accepted it. "Thank you for letting me teach you, boys."

"You are wonderful, Ms Keane!" Boomer said, with a wide grin as they floated upward.

"See you tomorrow!" the red ruff said before the three flew off.

…

"So, Butch, how's school?" asked Boomer as they were flying home.

"It ain't that bad," the green ruff said. "It was fun at times, boring at others, but not as bad as I thought! Ms Keane, now that's a gal I really like! She's the best!"

That pleased Brick. Butch _was_ the one who was the most resistant at the _idea_ of being taught by a teacher. He turned to his youngest sibling.

"Boomer?"

"I like it. Except the test. That made my head hurt. Except the drawing! That was fun! And Ms Keane is so nice and pretty! She's the best adult I've ever known! I want to go back there!"

"So Butch, want to go back?"

"It doesn't matter. Whether we go back or not is fine with me," he said. "Though I'm glad it's Ms Keane and not anyone else who's gonna do it."

Brick was very pleased. After all, she was his choice. He chose Ms Keane to be their teacher. Ever since he first saw her talk and teach, he knew she was the right one. He liked how she handled the Powerpuff Girls, despite the fact that the said girls were much more powerful than the middle-aged blue eyed teacher. If she can handle them, then surely, she could handle his brothers! And he was right! Never was he more pleased with a decision than he was that night. With Ms Keane's help, they would become better than the Powerpuff Girls, and they would grind them into powder when the time comes.

And _Brick Jojo_. He liked the sound of that. He and his brothers had new identities and new names. And he didn't mind that his name connected him with his creator. It was only fitting, after all. He wasn't a total ingrate. He would take Mojo Jojo's name—that's enough to show that he did not forget his origin. He's now officially Mr Jojo. He was pleased.

Pinky and her sisters would be very surprised when he decides to act. They would have no idea…

* * *

 _ **59\. Big Bully**_

 _The next day, October 12, 2004, Tuesday…_

Blossom was not pleased.

Not pleased at all.

It was 12:30 noon. And he had just seen Mitch Mitchelson steal Mike Believe's lunch.

Well, she did not exactly see him do it. She simply saw Mike happily walk to the dining hall with his lunch box. Just before he entered, he opened his box. And she saw his lunch. A hot dog sandwich, and orange juice. He closed it again with a smile on his face as he walked in the building to find a place to eat. Then Mitch Mitchelson came in. At first, she didn't mind it.

Then Mitch went out with a sandwich identical to the one Mike had. It already had a bite on it. On his other hand was the orange juice bottle. At first, Blossom merely thought that Mitch's parents got identical food and drink for their son. But then, he Mike came out with an empty lunch box, and a sad face.

"Mike, did Mitch Mitchelson take your lunch?" asked Blossom, approaching her friend.

"Um no," he said, a bit afraid.

"Don't be afraid. He took it, right?"

He remained silent.

"Mike, tell me what happened."

"Don't do anything. He said he'll beat me up if I say anything," he almost whispered.

That's all that she needed. She quickly caught up with the brown haired boy. Unfortunately, the sandwich was three-fourths eaten, and the bottle of juice was nearly empty. "Mitch Mitchelson!"

"Fffts up, Uhhsm," he said, with mouth full. "What's up, Blossom," he repeated after he swallowed.

"You stole Mike's lunch!" Blossom said, her pink eyes boring into his coal black eyes.

"Dunno what you're talking about!" he replied as he took another bite.

"You're eating Mike Believe's lunch!" she repeated.

"I am not. And if I am, what are you gonna do about it? Make me vomit?" he said smugly before he bit off the last of the sandwich and drank the last of the juice.

That made her angry. How can Mitch even give it back to Mike?

"What's going on here?" Buttercup, who joined them, asked.

Mitch paled. "Nothing's going on," he squealed.

"He stole and ate Mike Believe's lunch!" Blossom explained as she glared at the boy.

"Oh you did?" she said, grabbing him by his necktie and raising her fist.

Blossom was about to intervene. After all, violence was not the answer to anything, except if you're a monster and a crook. And Mitch was not those things, but a mere bully. And they could get in trouble if they acted violently in school.

Thankfully, Mitch lost his nerve. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" he shouted.

"You did it?" asked Bubbles, who joined them.

"Yes I did! I was hungry!"

"That's a lie. I saw you eat your lunch just a while ago! Hamburger and soda!" the green puff said.

"Okay so I did! What can you do? Make me vomit the food?" he asked in desperation.

"Let's take him to Ms Keane. She'll deal with it," the leader of the Powerpuff Girls said. By now, a crowd of kids formed around them.

"C'mon, you bully," the green puff growled, and a scared Mitch meekly walked to the main school building, with the kids following jeering him.

"Aw, Mike Believe didn't have lunch," Bubbles said, a bit concerned. "I know!" Her sisters had not yet eaten their lunch when the commotion happened since there was an emergency at the bank that delayed their meal. "Let's share our meal!" The blue puff went to Mike, and she asked for his empty lunchbox, which a confused Mike gave.

Blossom nodded, and opened her lunchbox, and set aside about a third of her own sandwich for Mike. Buttercup did too, and so did Bubbles. Bubbles even used her laser to warm the food. Luckily, the Professor all gave them the same drinks—orange juice, so they each contributed small portions to the empty bottle of Mike.

Bubbles went to Mike and gave him back his lunchbox. "Open it, Mike."

He did, and his eyes opened. "What? There's food. How did?"

"It's yours," the blonde smiled, before she gave him his bottle of orange juice.

"Unfortunately, you have to come with us to Ms Keane," Blossom said. "You need to tell her what happened."

"But I don't wanna! I don't wanna squeal! I don't want to be a tattle tale!" he said.

"It's the right thing to do," the redhead leader said. "Please."

He nodded, and ate as he walked towards the classroom. Ms Keane was looking at some papers at her desk.

"Ms Keane. Ms Keane?"

"Huh? Oh kids! The bell hasn't rung yet!" she said as she looked at the kids who entered.

"Mitch stole Mike's food!" Buttercup accused.

The bully was looking at the floor.

"Mike, is that true?" Ms Keane asked.

He nodded, but said nothing else.

"We shared our food with him," Bubbles said.

She looked at the bully. "Mitch?"

"I did it," he said in a low voice.

She sighed. "Mike, Mitch, come with me. And only you two," she said, looking at the three Powerpuffs as she stood up and led them outside.

Blossom shook her head. She hoped that she could teach some sense into Mitch. What was she going to do with that boy? First that hamster? And now, this?

Her eyes went to the table. It seemed that Ms Keane was checking a bunch of papers. Probably their Math quiz the week before. Or was it history? She became curious about whether she got correct answers. But deliberately looking at it was probably not the most ethical thing to do.

* * *

 _ **60\. Mystery Boys**_

So she "accidentally" looked at it. The questions seemed to be unlike the ones they answered. They were different! She looked at the name. _Charles Kenneth Jojo._ There was no such student in this classroom, and as far as she knew, this was the only section that Ms Keane was teaching.

She flew closer, and looked at the paper.

The handwriting was not the best. It was ugly. But it was understandable. She quickly skimmed it. There were three papers. David Jojo. Bryan Jojo. Probably in the same family. Brothers. Their handwriting and the questions would indicate that they were all of the same age with each other and with the Powerpuff Girls.

"What are you looking at?" Bubbles asked.

"Oh nothing. Do you know any one named Jojo?"

"Aside from Mojo? None," Bubbles said as she looked at the paper. She grabbed one, the one from David. She flipped the paper as Blossom looked at the paper of Kenneth.

Charles Kenneth was smart in some subjects. He got almost perfect in some. While he was staggeringly ignorant in others. For example, he knew English grammar and spelling very well. Was average in Math. Knew nothing of technology. His drawing was atrocious. But his essay was perfect. Not the thought, but the spelling and sentence structure was immaculate. And she agreed wholeheartedly with what he wrote about the police.

 _What do the police do?_

 _What do the police do? Their job is to protect the city. But they are not doing it. They are leaving that job to the Powerpuff Girls. How can the police call themselves protectors when they have to call all the time three little girls to do their job? They are pathetic! They should be ashamed of themselves! They should just all quit and make the Powerpuff Girls their replacements. They are that useless!_

 _So what do the police do? They do nothing but call the Powerpuffs._

She nodded. She wouldn't be as extreme as Charles, but she sometimes felt that way with Townsville's bravest.

"Oh look at this! His drawing is simply fabulous!" Bubbles exclaimed, and Bloosom looked at what her youngest sister was looking at.

David's drawing was very good. Very realistic too. The crayons were well done.

Buttercup took the last paper, the one belonging to Bryan, and looked at it too, but said nothing. Blossom caught her nodding as she read parts of it.

"Girls, what are you doing?"

The three girls looked at Ms Keane.

"Um, well…"

"This is private, you know," she said a bit sternly. "You do not have permission to look into it."

"Well Ms Keane," said Blossom, trying to find an excuse. She knew she was in trouble. After all, she was prying. Stupid Blossom! "We got curious. I saw the names, and I didn't know anyone named Kenneth, or David, or Bryan. Are we getting new students?"

Ms Keane seemed a bit paler than usual as she began her explanation. "You see girls, this was supposed to be a secret, but you saw it. So I must ask you not to tell anyone."

"Oh a mystery!" Bubbles squealed, clapping her hands.

"Well I was engaged by rich people to tutor three boys," Ms Keane said, "and the names of the three were Kenneth Charles, David, and Bryan. They had no schooling at all before this. Now the people who engaged me did not want to send their children to school, but since the State allows children to be homeschooled, for a lot of money, they asked me. And I accepted."

"You mean that they knew nothing before you took them on?"

"They know basic reading and some spelling," she stated. "That's a diagnostic test. I wanted to know how much they know so I can teach them better."

"If that's the case, Kenneth Charles is a very smart boy," Blossom said, as she gave the paper back.

"Yes he is," Ms Keane said.

"And David is a very good artist!"

"He is," she said.

Buttercup said nothing as she gave the last paper to the teacher.

The bell rang.

It was time for the first subject after lunch.

…

"Those boys were good!"

Blossom looked at her blonde sister as they flew home. "Are you referring to...?"

"The Jojo brothers! Especially David. His drawings were very very good! I never saw someone draw that library so beautiful, so real!" she squealed. She can't take her big blue eyes off the drawing of David.

"So's Kenneth Charles. For someone who hasn't had any sort of education whatsoever, he's really impressive. He knows very big words, and even if his handwriting's kinda ugly, the essays were very good for a six-year-old novice."

"Bryan's okay," the green puff said, but did not contribute anything more.

Blossom's glad that her teacher had brand new students, even if they did not want to go to school. Ms Keane was the best teacher there was, and their parents chose wisely to get Ms Keane as the tutor. Still, she wished that their parents would change their mind about avoiding school. She wanted to get to meet them, and see how fast they could learn. Especially Kenneth Charles. He really had the potential, based on the diagnostic test, to be the smartest kid in school—next to her, of course.

* * *

 _ **61\. Evaluation**_

…

Ms Keane sighed as she drove home. That was a real blunder! She should never have checked the boys' papers at school! But she had no other free time to do the act. She had too much work to do!

Now the Powerpuff Girls knew! Well they knew that she was tutoring three boys. She had to get a little creative not to tell them who they really were without explicitly lying. And she really did not lie! Rich people did tell her to tutor them. But the girls need not know that those rich people were the Rowdyruffs themselves. They were certainly rich with the diamond making ability—they just didn't realize it yet.

She was thankful that they had just picked out their middle and family names. That made it far easier to conceal their true identities for the time being. That would give her time. She realized that sooner or later, this will come out. She only hoped that it would come out at her terms. By that time, she hoped that the boys would have changed, and she can proudly say that she made a difference.

Until then, she must be extremely careful! The Powerpuff Girls, especially, must not find out before they're ready. Or it would be catastrophic. They would not understand. The boys themselves would not be ready, and would certainly fight the girls than try to reason with them. It would be a tragedy in the making. Not to mention that it would ruin her name forever.

But if she succeeds! _If she succeeds_! The rewards would be worth it. To bring the boys to the side of right! That was something worth risking her name and reputation for. But it would take time. She must not show her hand and true intentions to the boys until they themselves realize the need for change.

Right now, her main concern was to their education. If it was true that before, the boys were so dumb that they can't even spell "dumb", the diagnostic tests certainly told her that wasn't the case now. Brick was the smartest among the three. His vocabulary was strong, he got the highest math scores too, and his essays were very readable. His spelling was excellent. And his knowledge was broad, if not very deep. That told her that he was reading a lot on a lot of different topics, but the reading started recently, and was done in a scattershot matter. That was shown by his ignorance of certain topics. For example, he knew nothing of literature, or technology. His drawing was average. He certainly was the counterpart of Blossom. His leadership and native intelligence would show that. But in overall smarts, he was still way behind her.

Boomer was the least intelligent among them. His vocabulary was limited, although his spelling was very good. He was very good at literature, better than Brick. But in all other topics, he was not that good. But it was compensated in other things. His drawing was a wonder to behold. He was a very good artist. _And his music skills_! God his music skills! She still got goosebumps watching him play the piano impromptu just after striking the keys from low to high. He was so good at playing the piano, and it was his very first time to use it!

Butch was… average. Less intelligent than Brick, but smarter than Boomer. Less artistic than Boomer, but more so than his analytical elder brother. Surprisingly good vocabulary and spelling.

She arrived at her driveway, parked her car, and looked around to see if there were any signs on the boys. It was already 3:20 p.m., and in ten minutes, the tutoring would begin. She shrugged. Perhaps they would arrive just in time?

She opened her door, and felt a slight wind as she did so. The three boys appeared in front of her.

She gave a slight shriek. "Don't do that! You frightened me!" she said, her hand in her chest.

"Sorry. Can't risk being seen," said the red-eyed leader.

She nodded.

She observed them. They were a bit clean, though not as clean as they were the day before. "Well, you better shower and change before we start."

"But we just did it yesterday! And we already cleaned our clothes and took a dip in the lake this morning!" Boomer argued. "Look, we're clean!"

"Yes, but you must change clothes every day! You're not cartoon characters, wearing the same clothes day in and day out. Even if you always wear the same design, you must change, or your clothes would become dirty and worn out," she argued.

"What's a cartoon?" asked Boomer.

So they also were ignorant about Pop Culture.

"I'll explain later," she said. "Brick, you go first. You know what to do?"

He nodded as he went upstairs to the empty room where he changed the day before.

"I've already laid out your outfit for the day. As you requested, your clothes are identical to your usual ones," she explained.

…

Later…

It was about 4:00 p.m. All three boys were extra clean, wearing new and clean clothes that looked identical to their old outfits. They were seated on the chairs, attentive, waiting for her to begin. She, having taken the measure of their knowledge, and having thoroughly prepared herself, and the boys, for their task ahead, began.

It would be a challenge. The boys were eager to learn, it was true, but she still did not know how receptive they would be once the actual teaching began. And she still has that secret aim of making them good. She can't forgive herself if she made them very smart, but failed to reform them. She must succeed. For herself, and for the boys.

And so, their adventure begins…

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **GoingQwazy,**

 _My prediction_

 _There's gonna be a misunderstanding when everything is finally getting good, and the girls will feel betrayed and think that Ms. Keane has been conspiring with the RRB the whole time :P_

Oh yes, there would be such a misunderstanding if anybody finds out what's really happening, the boys with regards to Ms Keane's true intentions, and the girls on the identity of the students being tutored by Ms Keane. Yup, that's what the girls would probably think of Ms Keane if they find out.

* * *

To **YxYYLover,**

 _Lol I am in love with Brick in this chapter! Man he is so proud! xD But he does it so well and I'm glad the boys have a tight bond with each other. What Butch did for his brother was admirable. They don't bat an eyelash when it comes to helping each other out even if they disagree with one another. Lol assistant leader lol cx_

Oh yes. Brick is so proud. He's so proud he won't take charity! Yup, the boys are very close to each other. Butch made a big sacrifice by suggesting that method to make diamonds. Yup! Butch is getting a bit ahead of himself with that assistant leader dream.

* * *

To **Akum,**

 _The diamond idea is really cool, amazing as always, cu!_

Yup! Got it from Superman, same as with where Butch got the idea from.

* * *

To **MicheleTaye210,**

 _This story deserves more views! It is so well written. Can't wait for the next update!_

Thank you very much. I hope you like this new update.

* * *

To **AButterfly'sTrueColours,**

 _This is a really great story! I love this. I can't wait to read what happens next!_

Thanks. I hope this update is worth it!

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _What a great chapter, Tonifranz! So they chose Ms Keane! And what a choice they made! They didn't force her to teach them. That's one point for Brick's common sense. And they actually paid her! With diamonds from coal! Brick really is awesome in this chapter. Butch too, since he was the one who actually came up with the idea. Guess all the time reading comic books paid off at last._

 _This was really fun. The boys are really determined to learn so that they can surpass the Powerpuff Girls. Hope the girls aren't slacking off so they won't get surprised by what happens when the boys show their true intelligence!_

 _Please update soon!_

There really isn't much choice other than Ms Keane. And she checks out all the boxes perfectly, according to Brick. She was experienced in teaching super powered beings. And also she's the only one they saw in action before.

Oh yeah. She knew it would be counterproductive to force her to teach them. Better make her their willing accomplice, so to speak. And yup, Butch's comic book reading could sometimes be very useful!

The girls are doing their normal thing. Unfortunately, as of this moment, they had no idea of what the boys are actually doing so they can't prepare accordingly. The girls will really be surprised when the boys show how smart they really were.

* * *

To **John,**

 _What another great chapter!_

Thank you.


	6. II-Unmasking the Ghosts

**An Education For Power**

* * *

The Rowdyruff Boys are being tutored by Ms Keane as a way for the boys to gain smarts and at the same time, avoiding school. Chapter 6. Who are the ghosts in Townsville Library? The Powerpuff Girls unmask the Ghosts in the library, and Ms Keane finds out the true identity of the ghosts. What is Mitch doing in the library? Will his actions lead to trouble for himself and the girls?

 **Book II**

 **Learning From Teacher**

* * *

 **Chapter VI**

 **Unmasking the "Ghosts"**

* * *

 _ **62\. Library Thefts**_

 _Thursday, November 18, 2004…_

"Don't go away! After the break, the Ghosts of Townsville Library, spotted in prison?"

Bubbles, who had been coloring an art book on the table, turned to the TV in their living room. That was very interesting. What were the ghosts doing in jail? Shouldn't they be in the library? Blossom and Buttercup had got to see this. She bolted upstairs.

"Girls! Girls!"

Both her sisters looked at her.

"What is it now?" Buttercup asked.

"The ghosts! The Ghosts of Townsville Library! They were seen!"

"Yeah. Sightings were pretty common in the library ever since last summer," Blossom explained. "We still haven't seen them ever since that night when we were… so careless."

"Girls! You don't understand! The TV says that they were sighted in Townsville Prison! Come on! It's on the news!" Bubbles exclaimed, before flying back to the TV. She wouldn't miss it for the world. Her sisters followed shortly.

"This is Stanley Whitfield. Officer Charles Carlson, an officer in the Townsville penitentiary, claimed to have seen the ghosts. Good Morning, Officer Carlson."

"Good Morning, Stan."

"So, tell us. How did you find the ghosts? Did you see them?"

"See them? Not only did I see them, I actually talked to all three of them!"

"Talk to them? Wow! How did they sound?"

"They have low deep manly voices," explained Officer Carlson.

Bubbles was puzzled. She distinctly remembered them to have high-pitched voices. She could never forget those voices! It was scary! It gave her goosebumps, and creeped her out. They were not deep or manly. But perhaps the ghosts could change their voices? That was the only thing that made sense to the blue-eyed powerpuff.

"Tell us what happened?"

"Well, I was making my usual rounds. And I saw them. White as snow, on one of the cells. I immediately recognized them as the Ghosts. I haven't seen them before like the others, but I've known the legend well enough to know how they look. I was afraid, but they told me not to be. I asked what do they want. They told me that they were haunting the place, and while haunting, they got accidentally locked in."

"And what did you do?" asked an incredulous Stanley Whitfield.

"I knew better than to mess with the ghosts! After all, they knocked out the Powerpuff Girls, so I opened the door to the cell, and let them out of jail."

"So the ghosts somehow got locked in, can't get out despite being ghosts that are powerful enough to put the Powerpuffs to sleep, and needed to ask you to let them go?"

"Yep. And they were very nice ghosts too. I guess if you don't disturb them in the library, they are a pretty chill bunch of ghosts!" the officer said.

"That is fishy," said Blossom after watching the interview.

"Yeah, Red. I just don't buy that they would get themselves accidentally locked up in jail," Buttercup concurred, deep in thought.

Bubbles was conflicted. The circumstances of their being seen in jail was suspicious. But that's beside the point. The important thing was that someone saw the ghosts! They were real! And Blossom ought to believe her when she said that the ghosts were really ghosts, not some hoodlums under white sheets!

"Thanks, officer. Now for some other news. Reports are coming in that some precious and expensive books in the Townsville Public Library were missing. Mr Henry Clarence, the manager of the library, has reported that some very expensive books cannot be located."

"What? But I thought the books were being protected by the ghosts?" asked Bubbles as she stared at the TV.

"Mr Clarence, can you tell our viewers what exactly happened?" asked Stan Whitfield.

"Well Stan, it happened a few days ago. November 15, last Monday, to be exact. We noticed that some books were missing. And not just any book! Those are rare and expensive books. For example, we have a manuscript dating back to the 17th century, believed to be one of the first compiled published works of William Shakespeare! Another was one of the original published works of Charles Dickens in the 19th century! Those were worth thousands of dollars."

"And they just… disappeared?"

"At first we thought it was just misplaced, Stan, but after a thorough search, we could not locate it. It's missing," said the library manager. "If it was stolen, then the Ghosts had not been doing a very good job guarding it."

Bubbles shook her head. That was unfair. She was sure that the ghosts were doing their very best. It's just that they do everything! And what were the library guards doing?

"Well, thank you Mr Clarence. Any message you want to tell our viewers?"

"Yes. If anyone can give any information leading to the recovery of those missing books, please contact the police or the library. Thank you."

Blossom took the remote and switched it off. "I think I know what's happening here."

"Oh do tell, Red," Buttercup said, a small frown on her face.

"It's obvious. The so-called ghosts were actually crooks stealing books in the library," Blossom declared.

"That's baloney! What would ghosts do with books?" Buttercup retorted. "Real ghosts don't need money, and if they want to read books, they could just read it at the library, like what they were doing all this time!"

Bubbles could not agree more. "Yeah! What Buttercup said. And it's their job to guard the books. Why would they be the one to steal it?"

The redheaded leader just looked at her two sisters incredulously. She sighed. "Look, how many times do I have to tell you? There aren't real ghosts! They're just crooks who donned sheets! This is the proof! Who was in the library the entire time? Those so-called ghosts! They could easily hide those books under their sheets and float outside of the building, because the guards would be too scared to stop them!"

"Yes, but they floated!" Buttercup argued. "Crooks don't float!"

"Yeah! And they knocked us out! Crooks don't knock the Powerpuff Girls out with a single hit!"

"Look, they're crooks! Powerful crooks! Crooks that can hurt us! But crooks nonetheless!" Blossom replied in an exasperated tone.

Bubbles wanted to reply, but kept her mouth shut. She did not want to argue with her sister about the ghosts. She knew that the ghosts were not crooks! She could not forget what she saw and heard that night. Blossom was wrong. Dead wrong.

…

* * *

 _ **63\. Mitch and the Paste-Eater**_

 _The next day, November 19, 2004, Friday_

All things about the ghosts and the library were seemingly forgotten the next day at school.

Bubbles was busy on her drawing. She was holding her crayons, drawing a building—the library. Looking at it, she wasn't satisfied. It was good. In fact, before last month, she would consider the drawing very good! Excellent even! But not anymore. She looked at it. How could it compare to the library building drawn by David Jojo? She recalled that drawing of the student that Ms Keane was tutoring. That drawing, that crayon colored drawing of the building—it was very nice. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than any drawing a six-year-old kid could do. If Ms Keane was right, and Bubbles had no reason to doubt her—that he was six-years-old, just like she and her sisters—then he really was talented artistically. It's not that Bubbles wasn't good at drawing. It's just that she wasn't that much interested in drawing buildings—she preferred nature. Her drawing of trees, animals, and people were excellent. It's just buildings—she wasn't good at it. But because she saw David draw a building, she wanted to draw buildings too!

That building he drew was so realistic for a drawing with pencil and crayons drawn by a mere child. Looking at her own drawing with what she remembered, she was dissatisfied. Perhaps one day, she could meet him, and he could give some pointers on how to draw buildings well? Maybe she could catch Ms Keane checking their papers during lunch and get a glimpse of his drawings once again?

The bell rang. It was lunch time.

The kids submitted their drawings to Ms Keane as they filed out the room.

"This building is very beautiful. You really captured the essence of the Public Library," Ms Keane said as she took a glance at Bubbles' work.

"Thanks," she said, giving a smile before leaving the room and joining her sisters.

…

It was lunch...

Her ears heard a whimper from a familiar voice. "Elmer Sglue," she whispered. What was that paste-eating classmate of hers up to? She walked to the source of the sound, into a corner, hidden from the view of the students playing or eating in the grounds.

"Please, don't! I don't have anything else to eat!" the curly-haired Elmer begged, almost on his knees.

Three kids loomed over him. Twins, Floyd and Lloyd Floyjoydson, were behind him. In front of Elmer, was the twins' leader, Mitch Mitchelson, holding the bespectacled boy's lunch box.

"Nothing to eat?" the brown haired bully snickered. "You can eat your paste. I'm sure you have lots more where that came from!"

Mitch handed the box to Floyd and inspected the paste-eater's pockets, and withdrew a jar of paste. "What do we have here?"

"Not the paste! Give it back, Mitch! _Give it back_!" Elmer desperately begged, trying to grab the jar from Mitch's hand but Lloyd grabbed him. "I need it!" He gave more effort to get back the paste than he did to recover his lunch box, it seemed.

A small smirk formed in Mitch's mouth. He scooped a handful of paste, and smeared it on his hair. Elmer tried to get the paste from his hair—and he ate what he removed.

That prompted the blonde puff to action as Mitch and the Floyjoydson twins laughed and mocked the poor boy.

"Leave him alone!" she said angrily, casting a challenging look upon the three bullies.

Mitch turned his head, looked at the blond puff without any fear in his coal black eyes. "Leave him alone, you say? And what if I don't, what'll you do? Beat me up?"

Bubbles gritted her teeth. She really didn't want to beat them up. She might lose herself and hurt them really really bad. And even if they were bullies, it would not be fair since she was a superpowered kid and he's just an ordinary kid. She would be scolded and she would not be able to forgive herself if he hurt him. But Mitch knew that too of Bubbles, so she can't bluff him.

But she has got to help Elmer.

"I'll tell Ms Keane!" she said in a soft voice, approaching the three boys.

"So you're not only stupid, you're a tattle-tale too!" Mitch shouted.

"Tattle Tale! Tattle Tale! Tattle Tale! Tattle Tale!" Floyd and Lloyd began teasing.

"What's going on here?" Buttercup said, stepping besides her blonde sister.

A hint of fear was seen in Mitch's eyes upon seeing her black-haired sister. Buttercup could really put the fear upon their enemies by her mere presence, something that Bubbles was very grateful for. She had an intimidating aura that won them many battles without even trying to fight.

"What's going on? Oh nothing," Mitch said, dropping Elmer to the ground, who pathetically tried to gather the paste on his hair and eat it. He threw the jar of paste at Elmer, who caught it, then ate the paste, seemingly forgetting the lunchbox in Floyd's hands.

"Give it back!" her green-eyed sister demanded as Floyd opened the lunchbox and the three hungrily eyed the sandwich of the hapless paste-eater.

"What?" Mitch asked as grabbed the sandwich and opened his mouth to take a bite.

"Don't you even dare!" Buttercup hissed, lowering her voice, and her eyes glowing.

Mitch showed fear once again, and he put the sandwich back into the lunchbox. "I guess I better do as you ask," he said, snickering.

"You'd better. Elmer's my new friend!" Buttercup said dangerously.

"Mutant paste-eater freak is your friend?"

"Yeah, he is," she said dangerously. "Now give back his food."

He pouted, fear still evident in his eyes, and made motions to give the lunch box back. He extended his hands, as if to give his food back, and Elmer…

Elmer was too busy eating his jar of glue to even notice that Mitch was handing him his lunch box. Perhaps it was not such a good idea to give him back his paste.

"Hey," Mitch began impatiently.

"Hey freak!" Lloyd said, kicking the paste-eater in the back, finally getting his attention.

"Huh?" he said rather cluelessly.

"Mitch is giving back your lunchbox, idiot!" Lloyd shouted angrily.

"Oh," he said, picking himself from the ground, eating a mouthful of paste…

Sometimes, Bubbles really found it hard not to laugh at Elmer.

Elmer was about to take the lunchbox.

"Oops. Sorry. My hand slipped," Mitch "apologized" as Elmer looked at the food and drinks scattered on the ground with his lunch box as he took another mouthful of paste.

"Hand slipped my foot! You did that on purpose!" Buttercup accused, grabbing the brown-haired bully by his shirt, lifting him up in the air.

"It really slipped!" he frantically protested.

"Say you're sorry, or I'm gonna beat you up!" she threatened.

"I already said sorry!" Mitch argued.

"Don't beat him. We should tell Ms Keane instead!" Bubbles frantically suggested. She did not want her sister to be in trouble for beating up other kids, even if it was a big bully like Mitch Mitchellson.

"Yeah, tell on me, tattle-tale!" the said bully dared Buttercup. "Buttercup's a tattle tale! Tattle-Tale! Tattle-Tale!" Did Mitch have a death wish?

She strengthened her grip on Mitch as she flew, seemingly towards the entrance of the school, and presumably, to tell Ms Keane.

Suddenly, the frown on Buttercup's face turned into a smirk. "Maybe I won't tell Ms Keane. After all, I am not a tattle-tale."

What was her sister up to? Would she beat up Mitch? That seemed to have crossed the boy's face as it blanched. "You're gonna beat me up," he said, more as a statement of fact.

"Beat you up? Here in school? No!" Buttercup said as she flew over a puddle on the grounds with some mud and dirt. It rained in the morning, which thankfully ended before lunch, so the grounds were full of puddles and mud near the trees.

"Well, put me down!" he demanded.

"Oops! Sorry!"

Mitch fell on a muddy puddle, making him wet and covered with mud.

"You did that on purpose!" he accused, pointing his finger at the green puff.

"My hand slipped. Sorry," she said. Bubbles knew, as was everyone who watched the entire scene, that it was deliberate.

The bully stood up, helped by the Floyjoydson twins, covered from head to toe with mud, much to the laughter of the other students. "You're gonna pay for that, Buttercup! And your sisters too!"

"And what are you gonna do about it? Beat me up? Be a tattle tale?" she replied, laughing.

 _That was mean of Buttercup._ Still, she had to admit, Mitch had it coming to him. She really wished that Blossom wasn't too busy having a meeting with Ms Keane. She really would have solved that problem without anyone getting embarrassed or humiliated.

* * *

 ** _64\. Red vs Green_**

…

 _Earlier that day…_

Boomer opened his eyes and looked at the stolen clock at the wall. It was ten minutes to seven in the morning. He wanted to sleep in, but rose anyway. For one thing, he was not sleeping in the library—Brick decided that they won't go back for a while since Ms Keane teaching them was enough, and since he did not want to be implicated in the recent thefts of books. That really made Brick, Boomer and even Butch mad! Stealing from the library! How were they gonna read the stories if the thieves stole them? And what were the real ghosts of Townsville library doing about it? Seemed that they became lazy ever since the Rowdyruffs pretended to be them.

But Boomer wanted to hang out in the library! Stories were waiting to be read! He already made a list of the fairy tales he wanted to know about! And the couch! The soft, couch! The hard mattress in their shack cannot compare to the soft couch!

Today was a special day. It was a tutor day, true, but it was also fight day! Boomer always enjoyed fighting, but not to the extent of his middle brother, Butch! Nobody ever loved fighting as much as Butch, with the possible exception of Buttercup, since she was his counterpart, after all. Even if he was badly beaten by Butch, it was still fun, although it would have been even more fun if he won.

But he wasn't gonna fight that day. Instead, he was going to be a referee. Brick had told him what he was supposed to do, and it seemed simple enough. It was Brick and Butch who was going to beat each other up. If Boomer had won that first fight, then he would have fought Brick, but he lost, so he got the job of referee. After that, he gets to fight Brick.

It was a long time in the making, and they should've fought immediately after Butch and himself fought, but delays kept happening.

He flew out of the shack, and saw Brick and Butch doing some stretches for warm-ups. Brick already got healed from his diamond-making the night before, just before he went to bed.

"Took you long enough," said Brick.

"Yeah," said Butch, already twitching as he anticipated the upcoming fight. "Don't worry, Boom. It won't last long."

"Yeah," Brick agreed. "I'm gonna end this quickly."

"Sorry for oversleeping," Boomer sheepishly said, scratching the back of his head and giving a big grin.

"Well, let's start!" Brick said.

Boomer nodded. "Okay, Butch, Brick, I'm gonna be in charge of this fight. So first, let's find a place to fight, or the shack might get thrashed."

Boomer flew to the place where he and Butch had fought, Brick and Butch following him. It was a nice feeling when both his older brothers did as he said.

The three landed on a clearing, Brick and Butch standing about a hundred meters apart. "Let's start. You better fight good! Begin!"

Butch flew, and lunged at Brick, intending to pummel his leader. "I'm gonna beat you up, and make you pay for being bossy!"

Brick said nothing, as he looked at Butch's clenched left feet fly towards his face. He waited until the last second, and tilted his head slightly to the right, and the fist of Butch hit air. Butch's momentum meant that his body went past Brick, who gave a powerful chop on the back of the middle brother's head, sending him crashing into the dirt.

The blond referee smiled. He really wanted his middle brother to get beaten up! He wanted him to feel what he felt when he was beaten up by Butch.

Butch stood up, spat out dirt from his mouth, and swung his fist towards Brick's face. The leader again tilted his head at the last possible moment, and the fist went flying past, hitting air. Brick then grabbed the arm that just swung and threw him over his head into the ground. He gave a kick on Butch's back as he did so.

"Give up?" the leader mocked as Butch picked himself up.

"Me? Never!" he spat, as he again flew at his brother, this time aiming a kick. Brick's eyes suddenly glowed and laser shot from his eyes into his brother right before the kick connected, stopping him dead cold. Butch backed off, and formed his shield, but as he formed it, Brick attacked, his fist and arms going through the shield, and striking the black-haired ruff in the face, then sending him a quick kick that connected on his temple, sending him crashing down to the ground.

Butch then picked himself up, removed his shield, and attacked his brother, but again, Brick made a quick energy ball and threw it at Butch. An explosion later, the toughest ruff was on the ground, his face covered with bruises, sporting a black eye. The leader was not hit once, but he was breathing hard. He was tired. But Butch was more tired.

"Fight like a man!" the middle brother shouted, and this time, his eyes glowed and laser fired from his green eyes. Brick flew up, avoiding the charge, and shot his brother with his own laser eyes. Butch was able to avoid it, and formed an energy ball, and threw it at his brother. He formed his shield afterwards to deflect any more energy attacks from his leader.

Brick got hit by Butch's energy ball. It was the first time he got hit in this fight.

"BLAM! And the Baron of Berserk strikes!" Butch shouted triumphantly.

The red eyed leader smirked, formed an energy ball, and motioned to throw it at Butch.

"I have a shield! Don't be stupid! Your energy ball won't work!" the Baron of Berserk shouted.

The leader said nothing, and threw it at Butch's direction. Butch decided to just let the energy ball hit his shield. But it hit the ground just besides him. There was an explosion, and dust and smoke obscured the battleground. Boomer noticed that Brick went behind Butch, the smoke and dust masking his movements, and he gave a powerful kick on the back of Butch, followed quickly by a punch on the back of the middle brother's head, and a kick on his knees.

* * *

 _ **65\. A Massacre, Not a Fight**_

Butch screamed as he was forced to the ground on his stomach, and Brick quickly buried his knee on his back, and gave punch after punch into his back. The shield was still up, so Brick put his face so it just behind the back of Butch's head, which was lying face down on the ground, and shot laser.

A scream followed an explosion, and Brick was back before Butch could recover. More punches and kicks were directed at his back, and Boomer began to take pity on his brother.

This was not a fight. It was a massacre.

Brick finally backed off, and allowed the Baron to pick himself up. Butch took longer to stand up, straining to do so as it was obvious that his back was killing him. He spat blood from his mouth, as his lip was cut by the attacks. A huge bump was visible at the back of his head.

Butch lunged a desperate punch at his leader, but he was, by now, painfully slow. Brick was so confident that he allowed the punch to connect to his jaw.

And to his surprise, and to Boomer's too, Brick actually fell on the ground, and a cut was actually formed on his lip.

"KA POW!" Butch shouted.

"You're still the strongest among the ruffs," Brick said, holding his jaw. That punch really hurt him. And that was with Butch already weakened.

Butch then followed it up and again, Brick let him hit him on the stomach with his kick.

Again, Boomer and Brick were surprised as the leader got the wind knocked out of him and he fell on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. Butch quickly grabbed his leader and threw him in the air.

That was a mistake, as Brick was able to use the time flying upwards to regain control. He stopped mid-air, as he saw Butch flying his way.

 _No more playing._

He easily avoided the next punch, and buried his knee on the green ruff's stomach, knocking the wind out of Butch, sending him flying down on the ground. Energy surrounded Brick as he flew down and pushed his brother, slamming him into the ground, and began kicking and punching him non-stop. Butch was lying face down on the ground as Brick wailed on him, a pool of blood forming around the green ruff's prone form.

He backed off and looked at Boomer.

Right, he was the referee. He really was the dumber than the dumbest!

He flew besides his fallen brother. He was still lying face down. A count would be useless. Still…

"ONE."

Butch remained motionless.

"TWO. THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX." How come even in fighting, he had to do Math?

Butch was not moving.

"SEVEN."

Butch began to stir. Still, if he was not standing by ten, he would still lose.

"EIGHT."

He struggled to his feet.

"NINE."

He was standing up.

He made it. It would have been better for him if he stayed down.

"I'm not done yet! I am Butch Bryan Jojo, the Baron of Berserk! I am the toughest ruff!" he said. Almost pathetically, he undertook one last offensive.

Brick let Butch punch him in the face.

Boomer expected that it would not have any effect in his weakened state.

But Brick actually fell back, and he clutched his eyes. When Boomer saw it, there was a black eye. Brick quickly used his speed to get behind the already weakened Butch, and gave a powerful punch on the back of his head.

Butch fell, this time, for good. He was asleep. The count would be useless.

"ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. EIGHT. NINE. TEN. And the winner of the fight! He is the Master Masher! The Duke of Destruction! The King of Crushing! The bludgeoner, Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo!"

"Look at him. Even when he was very weak, his punch is still powerful and can hurt. If you fight him, don't ever let him hit you. It hurts like hell!" Brick said, clutching his aching eye.

Boomer agreed. He remembered his own fight with Butch. His punches really knock the wind out of him and hurt very much.

Still, the fight was so one-sided it wasn't funny. The only reason why Butch got to hit Brick was that Brick let him. And Brick wasn't faster than Butch, at all! So how did his eldest brother do it?

"Pick him up. Let's patch him up. I'll get breakfast. You wash the clothes," Brick ordered.

Boomer nodded as he picked up the unconscious form of Butch and followed Brick who went ahead to their shack.

* * *

…

"Do I have to?" Boomer whined as he stared at his notebook and Math textbook, and clutching his pencil.

"Yes. This is homework. Ms Keane told us to do it. We are doing it," said Brick. "I already have finished mine. Butch is doing his now. You should too."

"But it's too hard!" he whined. And it was! All those numbers and such! Addition was hard. Subtraction was pure distraction! And multiplication! It's pure destruction of his brains! He was not Brick! How can he solve these problems? None are easy!

"It's not too hard, dummy!" Butch remarked. "I finished mine a while ago."

"And you wouldn't have if I hadn't helped you, or if I didn't beat you up," the leader said. "The first thing you did was wrong, don't you remember?"

"Yeah, well at least I'm better than dummy over here!" he defended.

"Hey, I'm no dummy!" Boomer said as he stared at the problem. Stupid Butch! He's almost glad that despite getting enough rest—it was nearly noon—he still looked like he was wasted. The middle brother still had the black eye, and the bruises hadn't disappeared.

"Okay, let's start. I'll give another example, and hopefully, you can solve the problem Teacher Keane gave," the leader began.

"Couldn't I just copy your homework?" asked the blond. That would be much easier, and Ms Keane wouldn't know the difference.

"Then how could you learn, idiot? You'll remain dumber than Bubbles if you do that!"

"Hey, I'm not dumber than Bubbles!" Boomer protested.

"Then show me!" said the eldest brother. "I didn't nearly kill myself every night making those shiny rocks just so you two could slack off!"

Boomer had to agree. Brick was literally bringing himself great pain just to get Ms Keane to teach them. He was sorry for his brother. So Boomer had to do good just to make his brother's sacrifices have meaning. Or he would have made all those diamonds for nothing. Nothing! He can't let his brother down!

But this Math problem was so hard! His head already hurts!

"Okay. First, you already memorized the addition table?"

"Yeah. One plus one equals two! Nine plus nine equals eighteen. And all those in between."

"Okay. So to add numbers with two digits, here's what you have to do…"

* * *

 _ **66\. You are the Ghosts?**_

…

So he passed. Barely passed, but passed nonetheless. He got five out of ten problems. True, he got the lowest—Butch got seven, and Brick nine, but he passed! The dumber than the dumbest passed!

"Very good boys," Ms Keane said. "It's much better than before!"

Not hard when he got zero before, and Brick barely passed! They're clearly getting smarter.

"Are we getting smarter than those Powerpuffs?" Brick asked.

"You could be," said Ms Keane, smiling at her students.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see the faces of Princess, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Ogre!" Boomer said, smiling at the prospect of finally putting them in their place! How he would love shoving their new found intelligence right into their faces! Brick was right. He might not enjoy learning as much as he did, but he really wanted to be smarter than Princess Bubbles at least!

He looked at Teacher, and Ms Keane seemed to be staring at him with her blue eyes wide open. "Can you repeat that again, Boomer?"

"Um, I can't wait to see the faces of Princess, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Ogre!" he said, puzzled why his teacher would make that request. Wasn't it obvious that those three girls were the Princess, Big Bad Wolf, and the Ogre? Apparently, it was not clear. Guess he had to teach the teacher. Teach the teacher! Now that was something he really enjoyed.

"Princess is Bubbles, right? Big Bad Wolf, Blossom, and the Ogre refers to Buttercup, right?"

So Ms Keane did get it! No wonder she's the teacher! She's so smart!

"Yeah," he said.

"You idiot!" Brick said, slapping his head.

"That's the nickname the ghosts gave the girls! Only the ghosts know about it! You three, _you're the Ghosts of Townsville Library_!" Ms Keane exclaimed. "You wrote that note on Blossom' notebook!"

The leader of the Rowdyruff could only nod. "Yes, Ma'am. I wrote it."

"Why?"

"Well, I wanted to steal her pencil, but she would get suspicious if I just took it. So I wrote the message to distract her," Brick explained.

"No. I mean, why are you pretending to be ghosts?"

"Because it's fun!" Butch exclaimed.

"And the books are so nice to read!" Boomer added.

"Wait—you pretended to be the ghosts just so you can read?" asked Ms Keane.

"Yeah. We were sneaking in at night so we can read books in the library," the Rowdyruff leader explained. "We didn't want to be discovered. But people were becoming nosy. So we pretended to be ghosts to scare them away so we can read in peace!"

"Just like in Scooby Doo!" Boomer added with a grin.

"Scooby Doo," Ms Keane said with a whisper. "But why are you in the library?"

Boomer answered her. "To read books! It's fun! And because we want to better than those powersissies!"

"You go there to read books?" she asked, a little dumbfounded. The blond didn't blame her. A few weeks ago, Boomer would not have believed it! But here he was, in the teacher's basement, learning like any other student. It's like school. But wasn't. That's how Brick described it. Though he really didn't know what's the actual difference compared to learning in a classroom.

"Yeah. We wanted to learn," Brick answered a bit sheepishly.

"And to read stories!" his youngest brother added.

"And comic books!" Butch finished.

"Yeah. That explains some things. That is why your vocabulary is very good for someone who never ever went to school, right?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Boomer. "What's vocadugary?"

"That's vocabulary, Boomer. What I meant was, you know so many new words that kids your age, even those who go to school, don't know."

"Oh that's because Brick always asks us if we learned new words after we read," said Boomer. "He'll smack us if we didn't learn something new. So yeah, the stories I read always have something new, and that dictotary always tell me what those words mean."

"Dictionary, you mean," the teacher corrected.

"Yeah. And I assume that all the big words, you know Butch, came from…"

"That's right, Ms Keane! They came from comic books!"

"That explains a lot," said Ms Keane. "I still can't believe it! I really believed that the ghosts of Townsville Library existed. I mean, no other explanation made sense!"

"Yeah! We fooled all of you!" Brick proudly stated.

"Yes you did. You even fooled by the Powerpuff Girls. But looking back at it, it all made sense! They were floating. They were three! And they can knock out the Powerpuff Girls with one blow! It's so obvious! Why didn't anyone think it was you?"

"Because they think we're dumb, and the ghosts read, and they think we don't read," Brick replied. "I can't even spell the world 'dumb'!"

"That's right. We all underestimated you. I'm so sorry if I thought that you couldn't be them because I thought you were not that smart," Ms Keane said in an apologetic manner.

"Well, it's okay. I mean, we really were that stupid. Plus, if they didn't think us dumb, they easily would have figured out that it was us," the redhead answered.

"So you also stole those books?"

"Steal books in the library? What do you mean? We stole no books," Brick asserted.

"You didn't?" asked Ms Keane. "But why aren't you guarding the books from the thieves?"

"Thieves? Yeah, we're thieves, but we didn't steal from the library," Boomer corrected.

"People are stealing books?" Butch asked disingenuously. They already knew of the books being stolen, but Boomer guessed telling her they don't know was the best way to convince her of their innocence.

 _Innocence_. That word was the farthest thing to associate with the Rowdyruffs!

"So you don't know," Ms Keane concluded. "Some really expensive books had gone missing. People were wondering why the ghosts were not protecting them, because that was the role of the Ghosts in the legends. They protect the books."

"Well, it wasn't us. We stopped going to the library after you started to tutor us," the leader replied.

"Stopped? Why?"

"We don't have time. We go to sleep right after this."

"Why not go in the morning or early afternoon, before going here?" the teacher asked.

"Are you kidding? You know what would happen if we just walked in and all those people recognize us?" Brick answered.

"That does pose a problem. Still, I have a proposition for you. You still want to go to the library? How about going during the day?"

"But we can't—" Butch objected.

"I know, I know, but I have a solution. You won't we be going in as Brick, Boomer, and Butch, as the Rowdyruff Boys. You'll be going in as Kenneth Charles Jojo, David Jojo, and Bryan Jojo. You'll be there as three ordinary boys."

"But we're not ordinary boys," the blond replied.

"You're not. But we'll make them think that you are. That way, you can go to the library anytime you want," she offered.

* * *

 ** _67\. Learning to Socialize_**

That certainly piqued Boomer's interest. Finally, he would be able to read those stories he missed out on. Hopefully, Brick would take her up on her offer.

"So how would you?"

"Ever tried acting like normal kids?"

"Normal? We don't do normal! We are not normal! We are the Rowdyruff Boys!" Butch answered.

"I know. But what about just pretending to be one of the crowd?"

"Not really," Boomer said. "Brick said that we're special, and that we shouldn't try to be like others, because we're not. We're better than anyone else, and we should let the world know that!"

"Yes, but not all the time. Sometimes, you need to just become part of the anonymous mass," she pointed out.

"Um, Teacher, what does anonymous mean?"

"It means unknown," she said. "What I meant was, surely, you would want to have the option to just go about your business in privacy, without anyone noticing?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe we would," said Brick, thinking. "Okay. What should we do?"

"Hm, for one thing, you need to wear either contacts, or shades," she said, looking at the leader.

"Why?"

"Red isn't a natural eye color," she replied. "When they see red eyes, they'll think of you, Brick, just like when they see pink eyes, they immediately know it's Blossom."

"How about us? Do we need to have shades too?" asked Butch.

"No. Blue and green are natural eye colors, and nobody would bat an eye when they see green eyes or blue eyes. Look at my blue eyes! Nothing unusual there."

"So I'll wear shades. What's next?"

"A change of outfits would be good, I think. People think of the Rowdyruffs when they see your clothes. A change of clothes would throw them off. They would think that you're just ordinary boys if you're wearing something else."

"No way! We ain't changing! We like our clothes!" Brick asserted. "I'm red!"

"And I'm blue!"

"Green is me!"

"Okay, okay. Tell you what, what about I get you different clothes but of the same color? Black jeans, and blue, red, and green t-shirts or something similar? Just to make sure that people won't mistake you for the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Is that from the diamond money?"

"Yes. And, it's not from my salary," she said. "It's from your portion of the diamond money."

"Okay," Brick said. "Let's do this."

"And one more thing. If you are going to pretend to be ordinary boys in order to read at the library, there are a few things that you must learn," the tutor stated.

"Such as?" asked the leader.

"You must not only look like ordinary little boys, but you must learn how to act like one too! That means you must know how to act 'normally' and act politely and courteously so you won't be found as Rowdyruffs!"

"Aw! We're gonna learn manners again!" Butch whined. "Are we gonna pretend that we're not better than all those losers?"

"I'm afraid so. And don't worry, it won't diminish your stature as villains. They won't find out it's you, anyway. You can revert to acting like you're superior to all of them once you decide to remove your mask, so to speak. But until then, you must keep a low profile, and that involves pretending to be normal and yes, acting with good manners and politeness."

…

* * *

 _The next week, November 24, Wednesday…_

It was a surreal week for Boomer and the Rowdyruff Boys. Ever since that Friday, they began the lecture by dressing up as normal kids. So they wore black jeans, their color coded shirts, and jackets, or sweatshirts, in a different enough style that they won't be mistaken for Rowdyruffs. Brick always wore shades and his signature red baseball cap. And to disguise it, he wore his hat forward, instead of backward.

But it wasn't the clothes that was the most difficult part of the exercise. It was the lesson in manners and good conduct that they had to endure. They had to walk around with Ms Keane during the early afternoons, and they have to learn how to interact and act so people won't be suspicious.

Boomer and his brothers learned…

How to read traffic signs. And how to cross a pedestrian lane. How to talk correctly with older people, and people their age, and even younger ones. How to adjust their tone of voice.

He learned how to be polite. Keeping track of all the titles he had to use in order not to offend anyone was dizzying. Most used Mister and Miss. Many use Mrs. Then there were the professional titles. Doctor. Professor. Officer. And many more…

Boomer could see that Butch was doing his best not to punch some of the insolent people who spoke to them. Boomer thought it was funny! They didn't know they were the Rowdyruff Boys! They're gonna be so surprised!

The best part was when Ms Keane brought them to a playground in the park, so they can 'mingle' and learn how to be a kid. They were instructed to try their best without using their powers and pretending to like all of them. And it was not easy trying to pretend that they like them. All of them were dumb brats! Well, the Rowdyruff were brats, but he and his brothers had powers! That excuses everything, right?

Still, the swing, the slide, and the see-saw were all so fun! He had to stop himself from using his powers, but still, it was very enjoyable! It was a skill in of itself to bring himself to the level of his so-called normal playmates, but he did it! He even pretended to make new friends! And those kids all thought that he was their new friend! Still, he was in no mood to shatter their illusions, so he never said anything to correct their misconceptions.

Pretending to be normal was so much fun! Not as fun as flying around and terrorizing people, but fun nonetheless. He could see why the Powerpuff Sissies tried to play with their normal friends like normal children.

And his brothers enjoyed it too. Especially when it comes to playing sports and doing the so-called feats of strength. By pretending to be a weakling, he was able to easily impress the gullible kids, like carrying a grown-up bag, jumping from the top of the slide, and carrying a large rock. It was Butch who did this, and that made him a hero among the playground kids. Butch was careful enough not to do anything impossible for a strong but normal kid to do.

* * *

 ** _68\. In the Library_**

It was after seven days of what their teacher called "socializing" that she brought them to the library. It was four in the afternoon. They stepped off Ms Keane's car, and not for the first time, looked at the library. Boomer gulped. It was the first time that he would enter the building when it was open. He was a bit nervous. He looked at his brothers. Brick looked excited. Butch, bored.

But he could tell, all three of them were looking forward to reading once again. And this time, there would be no hiccups. All would go smoothly. They would never ever have to be careful and see if the annoying Powerpuff Girls would arrive and bust them! Now they can act just like any other kid. He would have fun pretending.

Until it was time to reveal themselves.

But not now. Not now.

Not until they became smarter than the Powerpuff Girls and beat them in battle! They he'll show her! He'll show them!

They entered the building, and Ms Keane led them to an old lady at the counter.

"Hello Mrs Cartwright!" she greeted. "Boys?"

"Hello Mrs Cartwright," Brick greeted in a low voice.

"Hello Mrs C," Butch greeted.

"Good Afternoon, Ma'am!" Boomer said as politely as he could.

"Now aren't they polite handsome little boys," the old librarian cooed. "What can I do for you, Sandy?"

"Listen. I am tutoring these three out-of-town boys here, and I'd like them to be able to read here, and—"

"Say no more! You wanted them to have library cards, right? Well, follow me!"

She called for an assistant to cover for her, and led them to an empty room. There was a young man with brown hair, thick glasses, and gray eyes doing some work in front of a computer. "Hello Carl. Could you take the pictures of these three young gentlemen here for their cards?"

He turned around and looked at them. "Okay," he said with a smile. "Please sit on that chair over there. Thank you. Now could you please remove your shades?"

"Sorry. I can't. I have an eye condition," Brick explained.

"His eyes are sensitive to the light. He can only remove his shades during the night," Ms Keane explained.

"You poor thing!" Mrs Cartwright exclaimed.

Brick remained silent as he removed his hat, carefully arranged his long hair, before his picture was taken.

It was Boomer's turn. He sat on the table, and gave the biggest grin he could at the camera. His blond hair was combed neatly to one side, instead of it being parted in the middle. He would have been unrecognizable! The Princess Bubbles would be so surprised when she finds out! He will kick her butt before she could recover from the shock!

Then it was Butch's turn. He gave a smirk at the camera. His hair was combed and not spiked. He looked like the Rowdyruff before he exploded that first time. All to disguise his appearance.

"Name?" asked Carl who was now in front of a white box thing, which he later found out, from Ms Keane, to be called a computer. Hopefully Ms Keane would teach them how to use one. It sounded fun.

"Me?" Boomer asked.

"Yes, you."

"Um, Boom—I mean I am David Jojo."

"Thanks. You're being homeschooled, right?"

"Yes."

"Ms Keane is the one teaching you, right?"

"Yes. Okay, you with the green clothes. Name?"

"Bryan."

"And you," he said, looking at Brick.

"Um yes?" the leader asked.

"Name."

"Kenneth Charles Jojo."

"Color?"

"What's the color of my eyes?"

"Yes. You're wearing shades, so I can't just look at it."

"Um, brown?"

"Brown."

He asked a couple more questions, but Ms Keane answered the rest for them.

They waited for a while in silence, until finally, he said, "Okay, I'm done. Just show this to the guard, and show this to the truant officer if he catches you outside during school hours."

"Um, sir, what are truant officers?" Boomer asked.

"Well, they are those who round up kids during school hours when they are not at school," Carl explained.

"Kinda like Jack Wednesday?" Brick offered.

"Yes. Jack Wednesday," Ms Keane said with a clear distaste as Butch got his card. Wonder why Ms Keane seemed to dislike this Jack Wednesday?

He gave the library card to each of them. It was white, plastic, and he could see his grinning face on the edge of it. He looked at his name. "David Jojo." He longed to see the day when he could safely add "Boomer" before David in this card.

That time will come. He will make the Powerpuff Girls pay for all that he had suffered. All of them will pay. Especially Princess Bubbles for stealing his clothes! How dare she!

Ms Keane looked at them. "Do you want to read now?"

They nodded.

"Now boys," Mrs Cartwright said as they walked out, "a couple of rules. This is a library. Absolute silence. No talking. At all. While reading. Okay?"

The three boys nodded.

The boys silently walked to the kids section—the same place they repeatedly went to during the night.

There were a lot kids sitting on chairs, with books in front of them. But they were silent. Absolutely silent. They looked at the Rowdyruffs for a while, smiled at them, gave silent nods or waves or other greetings, then went back to their readings. These kids were friendly even when they were quiet.

Ms Keane said that she would return in an hour, at closing time.

The three boys nodded.

Boomer went to the story section, and got another fairy tale that he hadn't read yet. He really missed reading the books at the library, and he was glad that he was able to resume his reading. He picked an empty chair, and opened the book.

It was nice tale. About a guy named Hercules. It was about Greek Mythology, how he was a born of Zeus and a human woman, and grew up to be the strongest human alive. He really enjoyed reading the story! He was just like a Rowdyruff! Except there's only one of him. And there are three of them. Which makes the Rowdyruffs better than Hercules!

It was so nice to be back…

* * *

 _ **69\. Mitch In Trouble**_

 _The next day, November 25, 2004, Thursday..._

Mitch Mitchelson was grumpy as he stepped out of the car of his father. It was Thursday. School was cancelled because of a teacher's meeting. He was supposed to be having fun. Instead, he was given by his teacher, Ms Keane, some extra homework assignment as punishment for his so-called bullying.

Bullying! The only reason he was being punished was because of certain tattle-tales. Those tattle-tales being the Powerpuff Girls!

How he hated the Powerpuff Girls! All those goody two-shoes ruining his fun! First that blasted hamster, and now this? Just because he relieved Mike Believe of his food? Perfectly good food that would just be wasted on that scrawny body of that make-believing nerd? How dare they! They were strong! Mike was weak! He was supposed to give him his extra food! After all, Mitch was stronger, right? Mike was weak. He deserved to be picked on for being so pathetic! The strongest survive, right? Survival of the fittest, as they said!

Which makes the actions of the Powerpuff Girls so infuriating! They were the strongest being in the world! They were the toughest! They should take his side! Not the side of the weakest and most pathetic! Really! They make no sense at all!

He wished that they weren't the strongest. But they were. And as long as that was the case, he would have to live with their constant meddling.

If only there was someone stronger! None of the villains count. Certainly not Mojo. Or Him. Or even Elmer the Freak when he became that paste-eater monster! Seriously! Why do those girls befriend that freak? Even Buttercup seemed to try to be his friend!

Nobody ever beat them in a fight.

Except perhaps the Rowdyruff Boys. The girls were defeated outright the very first time they fought. Everyone was crying as those Powerpuff Sissies lay on the hole on the ground. Then they awoke and before long, the boys somehow exploded. The girls didn't give any reason how they defeated the boys. Only that they did. And the second time? He heard that the boys really humiliated the girls before the boys somehow got shrunk.

Still, they were the only ones either equal to or stronger than the girls.

And best of all, they were evil, they were boys, and they count the girls as their enemies.

He wished that the Rowdyruffs would just come out and kick the girls' butt for him. Then the girls would know what happens when they mess with Mitch Mitchelson. After all, Mitch Rocks, right?

The Rowdyruff Boys! His happiest moments during the past few weeks was when he saw the three, floating proud over the school, boasting of having put Buttercup in trouble! Only those three could get the three in trouble and get away with it! Heck, only those three could beat them up and get away with it! How he wished they never discovered that it was the boys who burned that chair, or zapped Harry Pitt! Then the green puff would be in deep trouble! It would be satisfying to Mitch. It would be just revenge for how they robbed Mitch of many chances of having fun!

How he wished he could stand in the presence of the girls without cowering, without the knowledge that anyone of them could break his neck without hesitation the moment he sneezed wrong. Only the three Rowdyruffs can be in their presence without cowering. They were the girls' equals—no, their superiors! Sure, the Rowdyruffs could also wring Mitch's neck when he sneezes wrong, but at least the Rowdryuffs were boys, and it won't be as humiliating to him as it was to be subject to the same situation to girls.

He wanted revenge! Those were his thoughts as he entered the library, showed his library card, notebook in hand, and began to do his homework. He wished he just was given detention. At least it won't last beyond the school day. Being the only one given research homework for the long week-end, and specifically relating to the library, was Ms Keane's punishment to him for all those bullying.

But it wasn't Ms Keane's fault. She was only doing her job. It was really the Powerpuff Girls' fault. For they had broken the most sacred playground rule—the rule against being a tattle-tale! The girls were rats! They ratted him to Ms Keane! An unforgiveable crime! One that they will regret!

He took his place in the library—he knew where to go, and began doing his homework. He looked for a science book, and began copying.

It took him half an hour to complete his homework. It was not hard. It was easy. Easy A's! If only it had not been a colossal waste of his time, he thought, as he packed his notebook and his pen.

He looked at the other library patrons. Mostly adults. A couple of kids. He went to the kids section to see if there were more kids, and to see if he knew anyone. Hopefully, Floyd and Lloyd were there too, and they could have some fun while waiting for his father—he would return just before lunch.

He stood at the entrance of the kids section, pretended to grab a book and to read, but in truth, to observe the other kids. There were very few kids. About two girls and five boys. Three of the boys appeared to be of his age. One with blonde hair, and blue eyes. Reading _Paul Bunyan._ Another with black hair and green eyes. Reading _X-Men_ comic books. Typical kids. Nothing worth his time. And finally, the kid with the long red hair, his cap on table, reading a history book, his eyes covered with shades.

Nothing interesting.

The said kid removed his shades to wipe it with his red shirt, revealing his red eyes.

 _Red eyes?_

There was only one person who had red eyes, who was his age. That was Brick, leader of the Rowdyruff Boys. And that meant that the blonde must be Boomer, the youngest Rowdyruff Boy, and the one with green eyes, Butch.

* * *

 _ **70\. The Bully and the Villains**_

 _Oh_ _my_ _God_!

They're here! Reading! But why? Does it matter? He needed to talk to them! To tell them to kick the butt of the Powerpuff Girls! They were his heroes! He idolized them! He dreamed about them kicking Powerpuff butt!

He took his pen, wrote something on a blank page.

 _Brick of the Rowdyruff Boys! I'm Mitch Mitchelson. Nice to meet you._

He was nervous. Those three boys could easily kill him. If not, then beat him for his insolence! But what could he lose? His life? His limbs?

He tore it from his notebook, approached Brick, and gently nudged him in the shoulder.

The redhead turned his head, and the bully gave the villain the paper.

Brick read it. He then grabbed the pen and wrote something below.

Mitch read it.

 _I'm not Brick._

Mitch wrote something at the back.

 _Yes you are. You have red eyes. Nobody except Brick of the Rowdyruffs have red eyes, at our age._

Brick wrote at the bottom.

 _Follow me._

He stood up. His two brothers looked at him, and put down whatever they were reading, putting it back on the shelf, Brick doing the same. Brick walked out of the library, Mitch following, behind him were the two brothers.

He was excited! He was meeting the Rowdyruff Boys!

He led him towards the back, to a place hidden by bushes and where nobody would see them.

Brick looked at him.

"And you are?"

"Mitch Mitchelson. And you are Brick, Boomer and Butch! I'm so glad to meet you." He tried not to sound like a gushing fan. But it was so difficult! He really _was_ a gushing fan of the three super villains!

Suddenly, Brick grabbed him by the shirt, and slammed him against the brick wall of the library, and raised him so that he was dangling in the air. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now?"

"Why would you kill me?" he asked. He was now afraid.

"Guess why?"

"Um, because you're not supposed to read in the library, and it's supposed to be a secret?"

"Bingo. So any last words?"

"You can't kill me! I'm your biggest fan!"

"Your point? So was Princess Morebucks! Before we showed her!"

"I won't tell anyone!"

"I'll make sure you won't."

"Look, I can be useful. I'm Mitchell Mitchelson."

"Why should I care who you are?"

"I am the classmate of the Powerpuff Girls!"

Brick suddenly dropped him, and fell on the ground. "You're _the_ Mitch Mitchelson in the Puff's classroom," he said. "You got Buttercup in trouble! You insinuated that she was the one who burnt that chair!"

"Right! Listen. I hate the Powerpuff Girls too," Mitch said, gathering his wits about him. Maybe he could get out of this alive. But he wanted to gain the trust of these three villains. He would help them get their revenge, and through them, he would make the Powerpuff Girls pay.

"Why should that matter?" asked Brick.

"I could give you information on the Powerpuff Girls. I only want one thing."

"So you'll spy for us?" asked Butch.

"Yeah. But I want one thing."

"What is it?"

"I want to be your friend."

"What?" asked Brick.

"A friend. I want to be your best friend."

"Why?" Boomer asked.

"Because I want to. You're the greatest boys in the world. Why shouldn't I want to be your friend?"

"We're evil. We're villains. We don't do friends."

"That's the reason? You're evil? I'm evil too!" Mitch insisted.

"You? Evil? Have you killed someone?"

"I've killed the hamster of my classmate! Got in trouble for it too! I've killed lots of ants, and I even drowned a squirrel once for fun!" Mitch said.

"Really? Are you making up things to impress us?" asked Brick.

"Me? Make things up? Never! Ask my classmates! Ask Ms Keane! I'm the biggest troublemaker there is!" he boasted.

"Have you ever tormented an innocent?" asked Boomer.

Now that was easy. He did not even have to lie. "Yes. Lots of times. Just ask Mike Believe or Elmer Sglue. They know."

"I see," Brick said. "Listen. You're amusing. You're lying is pathetic. You never killed that hamster. But tell you what. If you're willing to do everything we tell you, you can be our friend."

"Really? Deal! I'll be your servant, slave, and friend at the same time!" Mitch said, going on his knees, practically groveling.

"We'll see. Prove to us that you are useful, and you can be our best friend," said Brick.

"But I can prove it to you now! I know lots of things about the Powerpuff Girls! What they want, I know it! Their moods, their habits, their weaknesses, everything there is to know about them!"

"Weaknesses?"

"Yes. Despite being all powerful, they aren't invincible."

"Really Mitch? How would you know that?"

"Like I said, I am their classmate. And I may not be their friend, but I am friends of their friends," Mitch said. "So I'm going to be your best friend, right?"

"Not so fast! You must prove yourself. I want you to get something that belongs to each of the Powerpuff Girls. One from Blossom, one from Buttercup, and one from Bubbles. That would prove that you can be useful. Our friends are useful. If you're useless, you're out!"

"Yes. I can do it! Getting those are really easy. When do you want to have it?"

"This Saturday," Brick replied. "Up to it?"

"No problem."

"And you do understand that we will use you to bring about their destruction? That you would be an instrument of their downfall if you do this for us?" asked Brick. "Just to be clear so you won't have any illusion or later on complain that you never meant to help in getting rid of them!"

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," said the Bully, his eyes brightening at the mere prospect.

"Oh and Mitch?" the red eyed leader said.

"Huh?"

"You didn't saw anybody today. You saw no one."

"Right. I didn't see the Rowdyruffs. This meeting didn't take place."

"If anybody finds out, we would presume that it came from you, got it?"

"Yes. Don't worry! My lips are sealed!"

"So on Saturday, meet us. Where do you live?"

Mitch gave them his address.

"We'll come for you at home. Nine in the morning."

Mitch could only grin as he saw the boys go back to the library. He would become friends with the most awesome boys in town! Won't he be popular when everyone finds out that he was hanging out with them? Best of all, the Powerpuff Girls would finally pay, and he would help in bringing them down! The Powerpuff Girls are going down!

* * *

 ** _71\. Mitch's Oath_**

 _It was November 27, 2004, Saturday…_

Mitch looked at his watch.

He was excited. He was about to prove his worth as a friend to the Rowdyruffs. Although he was concerned that it would involve him being cast more as a servant than as a genuine equal…

He shook his head. He was deluded if he thought that they were going to consider him anything other than an inferior. They were, after all, the Rowdyruff Boys, and they had more power in their tiny little bodies than all of the earth combined. They had a right to feel superior. And he wanted to share in it, and make sure the Powerpuff Girls get what's coming to them.

He looked at his bag. All three items were easily taken. Despite being a big bully, he was actually a close friend both of Robyn Snyder, and Princess Morebucks. Which meant that he was able to ask them to get things that belonged to the girls. Morebucks has it because it was mementos of her battles with the Powerpuff Girls, and Robyn because she actually had been to the Powerpuff Home.

It was nine in the morning. He opened the door of his home and went to his front yard.

 _Where are they?_

"You have it?" a voice, Brick's, was heard.

He looked around, and they were behind him, standing with a smug look on their faces.

"Yeah. It's in this bag. All three of them."

"Ready?"

"I'm ready," he said with a big grin on his face.

Butch grabbed him by the waist. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted up in the air and being flown above Townsville. He looked down and he saw the landscape going by fast. So this was how it felt like to be flying.

It ended all too soon when they landed in the middle of a forest just outside Townsville.

"Show us," Brick said.

Mitch opened his bag and got something which made Brick's eyes widen. "That's Pinky's big bow."

Indeed, it was the oversized bow of Blossom Utonium herself.

"How did you…"

"Blossom has dozens of bows like these," Mitch said. "She gave one as a souvenir to Robyn Snyder. And I merely had to ask. She was jelly in my hands."

"Okay, so you got something from Pink Eyes. How about from Butters?" Butch demanded.

"Look at this!" he said as he took from his bag a pair of boxing gloves. "This belongs to Buttercup. If you don't believe me, just look at the name sewn on it."

The green ruff got it, and indeed, there was _Buttercup_ _Utonium_ on it.

"Where did you get it?"

"Buttercup punched me a little too hard one time. I spent time, about a week, in a hospital. She was so sorry, she gave me this. She said it's her favorite boxing glove."

Boomer then spoke. "How about—"

"Don't worry. I have it," he said, grinning. Mitch grabbed from his bag a stuffed animal. It was an octopus. "This is Octi Jr. It belonged to Bubbles. The original Octi was very precious to Bubbles. The Professor gave her more stuffed animals, including this one. She named this one Octi Jr because it looked identical to the original Octi. Princess Morebucks stole it one time as part of a stupid plan to defeat the Powerpuff Girls. But it didn't work. The girls thought that this was lost forever, but it wasn't."

"How did you get Princess…"

"Blackmail. I know lots of things about my classmates," he said with a grin.

"You sneaky devil," Brick said, smirking.

"So do I become your friend?"

"Not yet," said the leader, getting a piece of paper from his pocket. "You'll have to take an oath. Read this and tell me if you're still willing to become our best friend."

Mitch took the paper.

Mitch read and reread the oath.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Mitch, looking at the three villains.

"We made a similar oath to Brick," Butch said.

"Yeah. Are you telling me that you are even better than Butch and I?" Boomer insinuated. "We swore total obedience to our leader, Brick, so if you want to be our friend, you must take the same promise."

"Having second thoughts? Cause if you are, we're just drop you off at your house, and we'll forget this ever happened. Just don't tell anyone what happened," Brick said.

Mitch read and reread the oath.

The Rowdyruff Boys were demanding absolute obedience to them for the rest of his life. They were demanding his absolute loyalty. Should he give it?

Yes. He should. If only to get back at the Powerpuff Girls. And he could do whatever he wanted, since the Rowdyruff Boys would always have his back. He never would have to fear the Powepuff Girls. And the Rowdyruff Boys were always hiding. What orders could they possibly give?

And since Boomer and Butch gave the same loyalty and obedience to Brick, that would put him in the same position to Boomer and Butch.

Awesome! He'd be an honorary Rowdyruff!

"I'll sign this oath."

Brick gave him a pen, and brown-haired bully signed it. Brick then took the paper.

"Repeat after me. Raise your right hand and state your name."

"I, Mitchell Mitchelson."

"For the rest of your life, do swear,"

"For the rest of my life, do swear."

"To always be a loyal friend to the Rowdyruff Boys."

"To always be a loyal friend to the Rowdyruff Boys."

"You will always follow the orders of the Rowdyruff leader Brick Jojo, no matter if you think it's wrong or unwise."

"I will always follow the orders of the Rowdyruff leader Brick Jojo, no matter if I think it's wrong or unwise."

"You will never disobey Brick, right or wrong."

"I will never disobey Brick, right or wrong."

"And you will always, always, sacrifice everything to do my bidding."

"And I will always, always, sacrifice everything to do your bidding."

"All your other loyalties would be second to your loyalty to the Rowdyruff Boys."

"All my other loyalties would be second to my loyalty to the Rowdyruff Boys."

"If you do so, the Rowdyruff Boys would always protect you from every threat there is."

"If I do so, the Rowdyruff Boys would always protect me from every threat there is."

"And if you break this oath, your life is forfeit."

"And if I break this oath, my life is forfeit."

* * *

 ** _72\. Mitch's Ordeal_**

"Congratulations! You are our new best friend!" Brick said, shaking his hand. "However, there's one more thing. You must do one last thing."

"Um, what?"

"Survive, and never give up!" Brick said as he lifted him by the shirt…

And threw him to the air.

Mitch screamed as he was tossed high in the air. _Oh my God!_ He never should have joined them! What was he thinking? Now he's going to die!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he yelled as he reached the highest height and started falling.

"Still want to join us?" Brick shouted as he fell.

Mitch screamed as he saw the earth approaching. Ten seconds to impact.

Five seconds…

Three seconds…

He felt himself slowing down, and then stopped just above the ground. He looked, and saw Boomer holding him by the shirt.

"You saved me…" he croaked.

"It's not over," Boomer said as he threw him to the ground, face first.

"Fight us," Butch shouted with an evil grin.

"Fight you?" Mitch said, his face paling.

"Yes. Or are you scared?"

Oh yes he's scared. But was this a test? He screamed, made a fist, and attacked the green Rowdyruff.

It connected, and felt like he punched a rock. Butch smirked, and gave him a punch on the stomach.

The brown haired boy fell to the ground clutching his tummy in pain. Did he just take a punch from the Rowdyruff and survive? He was so awesome! Painful, but awesome!

"That's a very weak punch," stated Butch, spitting on the ground with a sadistic glee on his face.

Of course he was. He would be dead if it was any stronger. It was still awesome.

"You're weak and pathetic. Come on. Stand up and fight!" Brick shouted.

The bully stood up, and balled up his fist. Perhaps Boomer would be more amenable to be merciful? He attacked the blond ruff, who effortlessly dodged. He again tried to punch him, and again, Boomer avoided him. He put some distance between the two. Mitch again tried to punch Boomer. Boomer's eyes glowed.

And the normal boy was zapped with laser.

His entire body screamed in pain. He felt like he was dying. Then it stopped.

He was weak. Very weak.

"That was very very weak! Not as weak as the one I hit Harry Pitt with, but c'mon!"

"Any stronger and I would have been dead," Mitch said as he spat blood. His lip was now cut. He stood up and tried to attack Brick.

Brick caught his fist with his left hand. And punched him in the face with his right. Mitch swore he could feel his bones on his face break.

"You only felt your face break," said Brick, "but that punch isn't strong enough to break your fragile little face."

Brick was right. Mitch knew that nothing was broken. But it hurt. His eyes were black. He was bleeding. And he was still alive!

"So you give up?"

"I can't win against you," Mitch said.

"You can't," said Brick. "One more and we're done."

Mitch hoped that it won't be as painful. As if he can feel more pain. His entire body was throbbing in pain.

Brick's eyes glowed, and once again, he felt laser on his body. But this one wasn't painful at all. When it was over, all his wounds were closed. The laser apparently cauterized it.

"Um, thanks?" he said as his hands went to the places where he was previously bleeding.

He was lifted up by Boomer and they flew over the lake. He gulped. Good thing he knew how to swim.

He found himself dropping like a rock to the lake. He collided with the water, and it was painful. It was very cold. He felt like he might freeze to death. He splashed around, but he eventually was able to control himself and started swimming toward the shore.

Then Brick came just above him. "So you know how to swim?"

"Uh, yeah," Mitch said, not liking this one bit.

"Let's see you try this."

Mitch felt a hand grab his ankle, and he was pulled down the lake. He took a deep breathe just before his head became submerged.

He could see Boomer and Butch under the lake, looking at him. So that meant that Brick was the one who was holding his ankle and keeping him down.

How long were they planning on keeping him here? Were they planning on drowning him?

 _Please don't drown me._

He cannot hold his breathe anymore. He exhaled. He frowned as he saw bubbles float upward.

Please let me go to the surface! Please!

Again, a minute goes by. He really needed to breathe.

Finally, he could not take it any longer. He needed to inhale. Even if he would breathe in water.

Then he was suddenly pulled upward, and his head was on the surface. He breathed deep, and fresh air filled his lungs.

"Can you swim to the shore?" asked the red-eyed leader.

"Yes," he said. His body was still in pain, but he managed to do so.

When he reached the shore, he shivered in cold, but Boomer again used his laser eyes on Mitch. This time, he felt warmth. When it was over, the shivering was gone. All danger of getting sick was banished, and his clothes and his body was all dry.

"Thanks. Have I made it?" he asked. He didn't know if he could take more of it.

"Yes. You passed," Brick said, looking him over.

Mitch sported the biggest grin as they walked to a clearing. Butch, who had disappeared, returned with a dead wild boar. The sight made the bully wince.

"Make yourself useful and get some firewood," he was ordered by Brick.

Mitch, eager to please, scrambled around and found what he was looking for.

Butch nodded and used his laser eyes to light a fire. He took another stick, used it to impale the boar, while Boomer set up the stand to place the boar over the fire.

Brick disappeared, and reappeared with four metal plates, four large knives and four forks.

* * *

…

"So, how did I do?" asked Mitch before he stuffed a forkful of pork in his mouth.

"You did okay. You survived. Impressive for an ordinary six-year-old kid," Brick said. "You never quit, so I guess that counts in your favor."

"So I'll be your new best friend?"

"Maybe. In two or three months, we'll see," said Boomer before he took his bite of pork.

"Yeah. Prove to us that you're loyal, obedient, and useful, and yeah, you would be the new best friend of the Rowdyruff Boys."

Mitch smiled. That's all he wanted. A chance to prove his worth.

"Keep this a secret. You'd be a better friend if nobody, especially those powersissies, know that you're with us," the leader instructed.

"Don't worry. Those sissies won't know a thing!" Mitch assured.

Oh yeah. He's gonna help bring down those Powerpuff Girls. He only hoped that his help would be vital in their downfall. He can't wait to see those girls prone and prostrated before their true masters…

This was gonna be worth it.

…

* * *

 ** _73\. Back in the Library_**

 _Later that night…_

It was ten in the evening. Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup were in the public library. It was Saturday, so it was closed during the entire day. Blossom had devised a perfect way to catch the ghosts. According to the reports, they only appeared beyond ten in the evening—about the time the Professor always insisted that they go back home for bedtime. The Powerpuff leader had to beg and to cajole the Professor into letting them stay-up in the library beyond ten in the evening. The Professor was extremely reluctant to grant them permission. Until finally, he relented. But only for one night. And only for Saturday night, since they had no school the next day.

Bubbles for her part was extremely happy! They would see the ghosts again! She could apologize for her actions in disturbing them in the first place. But she was curious too. Were the ghosts actually the thieves? Blossom thought so. But that can't be! They're there to protect the books from being stolen in the first place!

Granted, they seemed to not do a very good job at it, since the books were stolen! Or maybe they were misplaced and put by the librarians on different shelves? Since the library was so big, if you put books on different shelves, then they might as well be lost since it would be impossible to find them.

But it was the intentions that count! The ghosts were there to protect, right?

But why were they in jail? Why did they leave the library?

So many questions needed to be answered. Hopefully, the ghosts would give good explanations. Not that the ghosts owed anyone, least of all the Powerpuffs, any explanation, but it would go a long way to clear their names. And to finally convince Blossom that not only do they exist, but they had good intentions.

And Bubbles want to know why they called her Princess, Blossom the Big Bad Wolf, and Buttercup, an Ogre.

"Okay, girls, keep extremely quiet. The crooks or 'ghosts' or whatever they are would be due for an appearance," said Blossom in a soft whisper.

The lights were off. It was quiet. Absolutely quiet. They were seated on couches on the kids section, the favorite place of the ghosts. The couch was so soft, and it's way past her bedtime.

Way past her bedtime…

She was getting sleepy. Maybe she shouldn't have drank warm milk before going on this mission. But she needed to stay awake. The ghosts could come at any moment.

Any moment.

Maybe she'll rest her eyes just for a little while... Just for a little while.

She lay down on the soft couch, closed her eyes, and listened…

* * *

…

Her eyes opened from a soft shaking. "Bubbles, wake up," Blossom's very soft voice said close to her right ear.

"Blo—"

Blossom's hand covered her mouth. "Shhh. Be quiet. They're here."

She nodded, and stood up. Buttercup was already awake. She pointed in the direction of the back. There were flashlights.

Flashlights? She didn't remember the ghosts using flashlights at all.

Blossom looked at her sisters, and they nodded. They flew quietly towards the source of the light, and they heard voices. Low voices, not like the high pitched voices that they heard when they first saw the ghosts. The blonde puff tried to listen in, but she couldn't make heads or tails of what they were discussing.

Finally, they saw them. One of them was holding a white bag. Another was looking at some books. Expensive books, she learned from the library manager. He was putting them in the bag. The other was looking around.

 _ **"Not so fast!"**_ Blossom said in a loud voice.

"Huh?" one of the Ghosts said, looking around. The flashlights focused on the Powerpuff Girls. "Powerpuff Girls!" they said in a low voice.

"So, you finally show your true colors, ghosts! You're not protectors! You're just common crooks!" Blossom accused.

"We are the ghosts of the library! Leave now!" one of the ghosts warned in a low creepy voice.

Bubbles noted that their voices weren't as scary as the voices that she originally heard. That made her ran away in fear. The ghosts in front of her seemed less scary—probably because she's already familiar with them.

"Yeah, or we're gonna knock you out like we did last time!" another ghost threatened.

"You were only able to do that because you caught us off guard! If we had known that you'd be that strong, you'd never have been able put us to sleep!" Buttercup argued, pointing her finger at the three.

"We're gonna kick your butt like before, _Sweet Chicks_!" one of them said.

Wait! _Sweet Chicks_? There was only one group of crooks so vile to say those degrading two words! Bubbles switched on her x-ray vision.

Yes. It was them!

"You! Only you could say such things!" Blossom said, voicing Bubbles thoughts.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Buttercup said, and she immediately attacked. Blossom followed, and finally, Bubbles.

It wasn't much of a fight. The "ghosts" were easily defeated. And when the sheets were removed, it was the same crooks who impersonated the Powerpuff Girls before! With costumes that happened to be in the same cell as they were! And the same size. A costume so easy to spot, that it was ridiculous that the prison guards, the bank, and all others except Ms Bellum mistook them for the real thing. It ended up with the Powerpuff Girls arrested and thrown in jail, and Blossom committing her first, but not last, felony—breaking out of jail.

The crooks were three men. One was African-American. Another was a pale man with red hair and beard. And the other was tanned with a green Mohawk.

So it was not unbelievable that they could don some white sheets, pretend to be the Ghosts of Townsville Library, and make the prison guards believe that they really were the ghosts!

…

Blossom called the police while Bubbles and Buttercup watched over them. As they were being arrested, Blossom looked at Bubbles.

"See, I told you they were crooks. The ghosts do not exist," Blossom said.

Bubbles shook her head. Wasn't it obvious? How can she prove it? She had an idea.

She looked around.

Found a baseball bat.

"Hey you," she said, pointing to the leader, the redhead, giving him the baseball bat. "Hit me in the head."

"Huh? What?"

"Just hit me at the back of my head. As hard as you can! Please?"

"But you'll hurt us if we do so!" the redhead leader said, confused.

"I promise you that me and my sisters won't hurt you. But please hit me in the back of my head with that bat," Bubbles pleaded. "Officers, please don't stop him."

"Bubbles!" Blossom said, shocked.

"Are you sure?" asked the crook.

"Yes."

"Okay."

Bubbles turned around. The crook swung and hit the head of the blonde powerpuff as hard as he could. The bat snapped and shattered.

"Hit me! What are you waiting for?" Bubbles said impatiently.

"I already did!" said the crook.

"That was just a light tap! Do it seriously!" she demanded.

"I did! That bat shattered."

Bubbles turned around and saw the pieces of wood on the floor that used to be the baseball bat. She had a grin. "Oh by the way. Who is the ogre? And the Big Bad Wolf?"

"Ogre? Big Bad Wolf?" the crook said puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"And who is Princess?" Bubbles asked.

"Princess Morebucks?" the leader asked, puzzled.

"Um, I have no idea why you're asking us that," said the other crook.

"You can't float, right?" she asked.

"We can't! We're just normal humans!" the leader said as he was cuffed by the officers outside the Library.

"Now do you get it, Blossom?" Bubbles asked with a big smile.

The redhead leader of the Powerpuff Girls just nodded.

"They can't be the ghosts that haunted the Library before! They cannot even hurt us! How can they even knock us out? And they had nicknames for us! Remember?" Buttercup said, with a smirk on her face, looking at the leader. "Face it! You're wrong! The ghosts are real! They're not crooks at all! But real, powerful ghosts!"

Blossom bowed her head in defeat as the Police led the three crooks to the police wagon. "I guess I was wrong. The ghosts are real. Those crooks just tried to impersonate the ghosts."

 _End of Chapter 6_

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

To **GoingQwazy,**

 _;o_

 _Keep updating pls_

 _I need to read moree_

Thanks for your review, as always! Hope you like this one too!

* * *

 **DOGGGGGGGG,**

 _Wow, I did not expect Mrs. Keane to have a chance at teaching those boys. It really distinguishes her character. I also like how you put the Powerpuffs in a good light, because most of your fics are really antagonizing them (its not a bad thing, after all no one else does that), which is really something new and interesting. Man I am glad you are doing this story. D_

Well Ms Keane was initially reluctant to teach them. But a sense of responsibility, and money problems led her to take their offer. And yeah, nobody else had the strength of character to not only accept teaching them, but to also control them and to keep them well behaved in class and to keep the boys' respect.

As for my fics antagonizing them, well, most of them would focus on the Rowdyruffs, so they would be naturally, opposed to the girls. In this case, the story is also focused on the boys, and I would like to focus on the positive traits of the girls too.

* * *

To **MicheleTaye210,**

 _Yay! Another update!_

 _I really love how you portray the boys in this story! Especially Brick! (Then again he was always my favorite_

 _I like how you also include the girls and their school life in this story even though their not the main focus._

 _Anyways another well done chapter! Can't wait to see what happens!_

Thank you. Brick is my favorite too. And Blossom among the girls. Yeah, the girls will have a big role to play, but their school life would be an important plot point as this chapter, and future chapters, will reveal.

Thank you!

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _this story is so well written, it makes it fun to follow along with the plot and charachter development to predict or anticipate what is going to happen next. It's like religiously watching your favorite TV series! Everyone already took my prediction so I agree with the idea that there will be a misunderstanding in the future (maybe next chapter) that is going to jeperdize the education of the rowdyruff boys. If I know Blossom well, she won't leave the conversation with Ms Keane where it ended. She will always follow her instinct whether it's good or bad. I'm glad the Rowdyruff's have full names and that they love it so much. They are so cute! The explination behind the girls middle names was really thoughtful! Does it take you long to come up with such amazing ideas such as this one for minor details? I don't mind the wait as long as you continue to deliver quality work like this, good job! BTW: I love the unintentional puns being uses in this chapter 3_

Thank you. Misunderstanding there would be, but more than that. Let's just say that things would be very ugly, and not all the ugliness would be by accident. Blossom won't leave the conversation where it ended, as would be seen in the next chapter. And it would have lots of effects in the future.

Oh thank you. The names I simply got from the fact that almost all fics had Jojo as a family name for them. But they had no family names in the show, so I want to show how they got it. As for the middle names, I made it up! But I used the same reasoning that I did in choosing the girls' middle names. As for the time it took, I wanted a reason for the names. So what could I use? Since their names were on the basis of B, their middle names had to be based on something about them. So I used their titles, and went from there.

Thanks. This chapter was again delayed for a week. Hope it wasn't too long!

* * *

To **Akum**

 _oh so good, i'm looking fordward to a good fight! cu!_

This chapter had a fight! Hope you liked it!

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _And what another great chapter, Tonifranz! We get to see how they got their names! They are now the Jojo brothers! And Blossom and her sisters finds out that Ms Keane had three students who she was tutoring! And the boys are getting more than formal knowledge, it seemed._

 _Looking forward to more!_

Yup! It's nice to see the boys have more than one name. And yes, the girls find out. What will happen because of that? We'll find out. And yeah, the boys are becoming smarter.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _This is wonderful. Update soon!_

Thanks.


	7. II-The New Goals

**An Education For Power**

* * *

The Rowdyruff Boys are being tutored by Ms Keane as a way for the boys to gain smarts and at the same time, avoiding school. Chapter 7. Butch is being a bully to Boomer. What will Boomer do? And what are the Rowdyruffs gonna do once they've beaten the Powerpuff Girls? Ms Keane thinks she has the perfect way to turn the boys good. And Blossom writes to Ms Kean's new student.

* * *

 **Book II**

 **Learning From Teacher**

As always, please read and review!

* * *

 **Chapter VII**

 **The New Goals**

* * *

 _ **74\. Bully Butch**_

 _December 1, 2004, Wednesday…_

Boomer was not happy. Not happy at all.

And the cause of his unhappiness? His own darling brother, Butch.

Butch had been intolerable. Butch was annoying ever since they returned to life, bullying him along with Brick. It worsened when the middle brother beat him during the fight. But somehow, it became even more unbearable when Brick easily beat Butch during _their_ fight.

It's as if his black haired brother had been taking his frustrations out on him. It ain't fair!

It was early in the morning.

"Hey weakling!" Butch called, "give me your money!"

 _Money_.

Yes, money. It wasn't always like this. It was true that they did bully and order him around. Brick he could understand ordering him, he was the leader! He was the best and knows everything! But Butch? He was the same as Boomer! Why should Boomer follow Butch?

 _Yes, money._ They say it was the source of all evil! Well, the Rowdyruffs were evil, and they didn't care about money anyway, and neither did Him.

Boomer shuddered.

He wished to forget that Him ever existed.

Where was he? Oh yes. _Money._ They didn't care about money before. Why should they? They would just steal what they need or want, or would just take it from the forest around them. You don't need money to hunt deer or wild boar. If need be, they would just steal money, but money seemed to be only metal and paper, only good for using the arcades on the stores they terrorized.

So money meant squat to them.

Until Ms Keane insisted that they learn to use them.

She made sense, of course. They were pretending to be normal children when they went to the library. So they had to act as normal children. And normal children did not steal or intimidate to get what they want. So to get what they wanted, they had to buy them. And to buy them, they had to have money.

He remembered the lecture on dollars and cents and what were quarters and dimes and pennies and nickles. His brain hurt trying to remember the rules, but he got it—eventually. And he had to learn more math too! So that was the real reason people learned math. _Because of money._ He wasn't going to argue. Why should he? He's dumber than the dumbest.

And to start them off, Ms Keane began to give them what she called their "allowance."

His elder brother and leader again objected. It was "charity". Ms Keane explained that it wasn't. It's part of the sale of the diamond, and it's part of the cost of learning. Giving them an allowance was just like buying them pencils or books—part and parcel of their education. In fact, they would be doing homework on their experiences with money.

Their first day of using money went as well as can be expected of three boys who never had handled money before. They were confused and a bit inexperienced. Luckily, Ms Keane was with them and was able to guide them into doing it right. Brick and Butch immediately got the hang of it, while Boomer… took a little longer but also got to use money properly.

Which opened up a whole new world to the Rowdyruffs. Five dollars was the allowance given by Ms Keane, and they were able to buy a lot—mostly food and toys.

Toys. And story books.

Brick bought some toys too, and some cheap books, and so did Butch. However, his favorite reading materials, comic books, were much more expensive than his allowance would allow. So what did the middle brother do? Demand Boomer's money.

"Why should I?" asked Boomer defensively.

"Because I don't have enough money to buy those comic books!" Butch argued.

"And if I don't wanna?" Boomer asked.

"I'm gonna beat you up! You're weak and dumb! You're gonna get pasted!" Butch warned, growling at him. "So give!"

His middle brother was right. He was weak and dumb! He's Dumber than the Dumbest! But his money… was _his._ He had his eye on that new stuffed animal, or teddy bear, and he won't give his money to his brother. _Never._

"I don't wanna! So beat me up!" Boomer challenged.

"I order you to!" Butch growled.

"You ain't Brick! I did not give any oath to follow you around. We're just in the same boat following big brother!"

"I'm older than you!" Butch stated.

"So what? You ain't my leader! Brick is!"

"Fine! I'll! I'll beat you up!" Butch growled, raising his fist.

At that moment, the door to their shack opened, and Brick entered. "I just killed a deer and… what's going on?"

"I'm gonna beat up little brother here!" Butch growled.

"Well, I'm gonna beat you up!" Boomer said, raising his fist.

"Whoa! Boomer, standing up for himself?" Brick said, smirking.

"He wants to take my money!" Boomer said. He hoped that his big brother won't side with Butch

"Well, I'm gonna beat you up!" Butch said as he was about to fly to his brother.

"STOP!" Brick shouted, going between his two brothers. "I don't want you idiots to fight here, or you might wreck our home."

"The only one who's gonna be wrecked is Boom Boom here for refusing to follow orders!"

"Are you telling me you're my leader! Brick, he's trying to grab your being leader!" Boomer replied.

"Butch! I am the leader, and no one else, got that?"

"Got it, bro," said Butch. "Now give me the money, Boom, or I'll beat you up!"

"Then try! I'm gonna fight you, and if I win, you're gonna be sorry!" Boomer shouted.

"You know what happened last time!" Butch growled.

"Yeah, well, this time it's gonna be different."

"Right. You're afraid. You're shaking!" Butch charged.

"No, it's just the cold!" Boomer replied. But even he could not lie to himself. He was afraid of getting in a fight with Butch. The earlier fight was different. It was play fight. This was deadly serious, and he might not get his teddy bear as a result.

"You afraid, Boom?" Brick asked, with a knowing smirk.

"No. In fact, I'm gonna beat you up! And I'm so sure that I'm gonna win, that if I lose, I'm gonna follow you Butch, and do whatever you say, and wash your clothes and cook for you and all that stuff!" Boomer suddenly said before he could even think. He then realized what he said.

 _Oh my God! Me and my stupid mouth!_

"You're on!" Butch said, smiling. "I'm gonna enjoy ordering you around, little brother!"

"Wait a minute! This ain't fair," said Brick. "What are you gonna do if you lose, Butch?"

"Um, I dunno," the green ruff said, "because I can't think of anything. There's no chance I'm gonna lose to a weakling like Boom!"

"Well Boom? What do you want from Butch?" asked the eldest brother.

"Well, I want that he stop ordering him around as if I'm his puppy! I'm not! I'm a Rowdyruff, and only you Brick, the leader, could order me _and_ _Butch_ around!" Boomer began. "And I don't wanna be called dumber than the dumbest. I know I ain't smart like you, Brick, but I don't like being called that."

"Okay. Still, are you sure about this, Boomer? I still can call it off," Brick said.

"Hey, he already opened his big mouth!" Butch protested.

"Shut up, Butch," Brick scolded. "Well, Boom? You know you're gonna lose to Butch in a real fight."

Should Boomer call it off? He should, since he's gonna lose. Oh he knew he's gonna get his ass kicked. But he cannot back out now! Not if he has any self-respect. He's the youngest, but not the most useless, Rowdyruff. No. He's gonna beat Butch, and he's gonna make him pay.

If he wins, if he wins, it would be all so nice. He's gonna make a drawing in crayons celebrating if he wins!

"It's on. I'm gonna fight you, Butch," he said, determination etched in his voice.

"I'm glad you said that," said Butch. "C'mon! Let's go outside and settle this like men!"

"Wait a minute! Who said that you're gonna fight today? We still have work to do for Ms Keane. You're not gonna heal fast enough in time for 3:30. And remember, we're gonna have a quiz."

Boomer looked at the clock. It's 1:30 p.m. And he was studying all week-end for the quiz. He knew he's never gonna beat Brick in smarts, or for that matter, Butch, but he's gonna pass! He's gotta pass. Or Brick's pain during his diamond making would be for nothing!

"So when do we fight?" asked Butch.

"When there's no classes," said Brick. "Let's look at the calendar. Let's do it on a holiday."

Yes, another thing introduced by Ms Keane to their lives. A calendar. Thanks to teacher, he now knew about the days of the week! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! According to Ms Keane, those dates with red were holidays. Usually, there were no classes!

"Yes. According to the calendar, the next weekday with a red number is 25. That settles it. You're gonna fight on December 25!"

"That's a really long time!" Butch whined.

"Yeah, but it's better this way so both of you can prepare. After all, this is a pretty important fight."

Boomer breathed a sigh of relief. At least he would be spared for three weeks the consequences of his lunacy.

He hoped that he could pass the quiz! If he had known that he would have to take quizzes, he would have objected to being tutored! But he's too deep into it to back out. He had to pass to please Brick and himself. He had to pass in order to be smarter than the Princess Bubbles, and then he'll beat her head to the ground and knock her teeth out. Then the Powerpuff Girls would be sorry they ever acted that way towards the boys! They will be sorry. So sorry.

 _The Rowdyruffs would rule!_

* * *

 _ **75\. Imaginary Pen**_

 _The next day, December 2, 2004, Thursday…_

It was at Pokey Oaks Elementary playgrounds, during lunch break.

"Give it back, Mitch," Blossom warned as she looked on.

"I asked nicely, and he gave it to me!" said Mitch. "I sold him something."

"Yeah, Blossom. Look at this pen! It draws imaginary characters!" Mike Believe said with a big innocent smile on his face.

Oh Mike, so gullible!

"Oh really, Mitch? Could you draw me some imaginary characters?" Blossom asked.

"Oh, what's happening?" Bubbles asked as she joined them.

"Mike got sold some pen that draws imaginary characters," Blossom said, as if that stated everything.

"A pen that draws imaginary characters! Sounds like fun! May I see it?" Bubbles asked excitedly.

Apparently, not everything.

"Bubbles, there's no such thing," said Blossom, getting a piece of paper. "Mike, draw something with that pen."

Mike Believe got the paper from Blossom, looked for an empty table on the lunch room, and began to draw.

And the pen had nothing.

"Well?" Blossom looked at Mitch.

"Can't you see it?" Mitch said, looking at the paper.

"I can't see anything!" the leader of the Powerpuffs stated.

"That's because he's drawing imaginary things! You're not supposed to see imaginary characters!" Mitch stated proudly.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Mike said, looking at his pen. "I can draw Patches! And more!"

"That is so nice, Mitch! Can I have one too? Please? I'll pay for it!" Bubbles said, impressed with Mitch.

"What's going on?" Buttercup asked, joining the group.

"Mitch is so nice, selling Mike a pen that can draw imaginary characters!" Bubbles answered.

"That's baloney!" Buttercup shot back.

"No it's not!" Mike insisted, "drawing" something on a piece of paper. "See?"

"I can't see anything."

"Because it's imaginary," Bubbles insisted.

"No it's not. It's an ordinary pen! We saw Mitch use that pen many times. It just ran out of ink!" Blossom insisted.

"But…"

"No buts! You were conned, Mike, and Bubbles, you should know better," Blossom lectured. "Mitch, give back Mitch's money."

"But—" Mike began.

"Can it, Believe," Buttercup snapped. "You were conned, Mike! I can't believe you fell for that trick!"

Mitch grumbled a bit before getting some coins and gave it to Mike, who gave the "magic pen" back to the bully.

"Now doesn't that feel better?" Blossom asked as she looked upon the dejected faces of Mike and Mitch. Mitch was very angry.

"Feel better nothing! I wasn't doing anything," Mitch began.

"You were ripping off Mike!" Buttercup retorted.

"Just you wait! You think just because you have superpowers you can order us around? Well, just you wait!" Mitch mumbled.

"Wait for what?" Bubbles asked.

"You think you are all invincible? Well you're not! I have friends! And my friends will kick your ass! They will beat you, and when you are on the ground, your mouth filled with dirt, you will be begging for mercy to my friends, and I will laugh at you!" Mitch boasted. "You hear that? I have new friends, and they will beat you up, Powerpuff Girls!"

"What? You can't threaten us?" Buttercup shouted.

"I'm not threatening you! _I_ can't do anything. _I'm_ _just a normal boy_! But _my friends_ can kick your ass, and I'm gonna make sure I'm there to laugh at you and spit on your pathetic forms!" he ranted, laughing like a maniac.

"So who are these new friends of yours who can beat us up?" asked Blossom.

"It's a secret!" Mitch said, with a smirk.

Buttercup suddenly laughed. "Oh my! Mike Believe and Bubbles aren't the only one who has imaginary friends! Unless you can tell us who those _friends_ are?"

"It's a secret," the bully insisted, even as his face turned red.

"Yeah! You have no friends who are that powerful! Heck, you have no friends at all!"

"That's mean," Bubbles interjected at her sister. "Mitch has friends. We're his friends. Robyn is his friend too."

"Yeah. Mitch is my friend too, even if he was a bit of a bully," Mike said, surprising everyone.

"Not to mention the twins, and Princess Morebucks too," Blossom added. For a bully, Mitch had lots of friends, the leader conceded. "That was uncalled for, Buttercup. Apologize to Mitch."

"Why should I apologize to a mean bully and con artist? He's the one who is imagining that he has imaginary friends who could beat us up! He may have friends, but his friends cannot touch us, let alone best us in battle!"

"They can!" Mitch shouted. "You'll be sorry! All three of you, but especially you, Buttercup, will be sorry!" He then turned his back on them and stormed off, muttering something about boys and girls and joining the Floydjoyson twins.

"Yeah, be like that, Mitch! Like a bully, you're a coward! Backing off from a fight, or an argument!" Buttercup shouted. "No one with any power would like a friend like that! Not even a villain! Except Princess, but she doesn't count! Who's that friend of yours? Fuzzy Lumpkins? Mojo Jojo? That's rich! Or even those idiots the Rowdyruffs? They won't touch you with a fifty-foot pole!"

"Buttercup, that's enough," Blossom said to her black-haired sister.

"Yeah, that was not nice," Bubbles added. "You were mean too, and a bit of a bully."

"Yes. To combat bullying, we must not act like a bully. And don't forget, Buttercup, Mitchell Mitchelson, despite all of his flaws, is _our dear friend_. It's just that Mitch doesn't know how to act like friend sometimes," Blossom explained.

"Well, I'm sorry," Buttercup whispered. "I lost it. It's just that, sometimes, that boy makes me so mad! I mean, he was making up friends in order to scare us! I mean, come on!"

Blossom shook his head. "I know." She looked at Bubbles and Mike. "And please remember that there's no such thing as an imaginary pen. He was fooling you."

"But what if that pen has an imaginary ink, and—" Bubbles began.

"Bubbles, there's no such thing as an imaginary pen or ink. The thing is, imaginary things are imaginary. You only need your imagination! You don't need any pen to make some imaginary characters."

"I guess you're right," Mike said.

* * *

 _ **76\. The Essay**_

Blossom breathed a sigh of relief now that that was over. It had been an irritating distraction to what her real objective was.

"Blossom?" her blonde sister asked.

The redhead looked at her and nodded.

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Tell me again what are we doing or why are we doing this?"

"We are trying to sneak and catch Ms Keane check the papers of the Jojo brothers, silly!" Bubbles said, giggling.

"As to why? I'm curious. I wanted to check their progress," Blossom explained.

"Why should we care again?" Buttercup asked skeptically.

"We don't. We're just curious," Bubbles said as they sneaked back to the building. "Besides, I love looking at Bryan's drawings! It's so nice. He's very talented!"

"And Ken's answers! He's getting smarter and smarter with each test," Blossom said. "I love reading his essays."

Buttercup did not say anything as they entered the building. Silently, they flew towards their classroom. There, Ms Keane was checking something. It wasn't any of their papers. So it had to be that of the Jojo brothers.

"Hello, Ms Keane!" Blossom greeted with the friendliest grin she could muster.

"Hi Ms Keane!" Bubbles said, trying to look as adorable as possible.

"Hi Teacher," Buttercup said.

"Hello Girls! What brings you here? There's no trouble outside, right?"

"Um no. We were just curious. You were checking the papers of the Jojo brothers, right?"

"Yes," she said, stopping and looking at the three girls. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, um, could we take a look at it? As a favor to us?" Blossom finally asked.

"I'm just done checking, so yes, you can. Just don't tell anyone," she said, smiling and handing them three pieces of paper. Blossom immediately looked for Kenneth Charles' paper, and gave the other two to her sisters.

She looked at his exam. He got a B+. He improved, though it was still not as high as Blossom's results in a similar exam taken. It was actually an amalgamation of different topics, not separate. She deduced that because Ms Keane taught them all the subjects, and that she was not bound by rules and procedures of school, she had a lot more freedom on how to test the Jojos than her regular students at school. So there was one big test encompassing all the different subjects.

But the questions were more or less the same on the different exams that they took. She looked at the different subjects. History. A+. Reading A-. Writing A+. Math B-. Art D-. She chuckled. His drawing of what was supposed to a palace or something was so bad, that the crayons were barely within the lines. It clearly pulled down his overall grade. Civics A-. Science B-. Miscellaneous B.

 _Miscellaneous_ , she checked, were all questions that did not fit the subjects above. They did not have such questions in school, since mostly, what was asked were pop quiz questions, polite manners, rules of the city, library use, etc. A typical miscellaneous question was, "what was the appropriate use of a fork, and a knife? How about a spoon? Or What time do you wear a pyjamas? What's the difference between a nightgown or pyjamas?"

Why was Ms Keane teaching them these? Weren't the boys' parents supposed to teach those things? What kind of parents were they if they can't even teach them such simple everyday things?

But he clearly was improving. Last time, he got C+ average, Bryan got D+, and David got D-.

She read the essay part. The question was, _Describe Townsville._

This ought to be good.

* * *

 _Dear Teacher,_

 _We had not been here for a while, so we really don't know much about it. Here's what I know._

 _Townsville is a city in Maine, USA. It has a population of 250,000. The population was not very bright, except for a few people. That includes, you, Ms Keane, who is the smartest we know of, and also Professor John Utonium, the creator of the Powerpuff Girls. The city is governed by the Mayor, who is not very bright, according to what I know._

 _The thing about the city is that it is very dangerous. It has many criminals. But they are nothing, since many other cities have criminals. But there are monsters from the sea. And villains like Fuzzy Lumpkins, that spoiled brat Princess Morebucks (who, by the way, I do not consider a true villain, but a spoiled brat), and Mojo Jojo. Indeed, the police are useless in that they cannot even capture ordinary criminals without the help of the city's superheroes, the Powerpuff Girls. I can understand that they cannot take on monsters and villains, but they cannot also take on crooks without the Powerpuff Girls' help!_

 _What I can say is that the City of Townsville is owned and in the pocket of the Powerpuff Girls. Without the girls, the city will fall apart, as monsters and villains would rule it. The Powerpuff Girls rule the city, and the city would have no choice but to obey them, if only the girls assert their power. The girls will realize it in the future, and when they do, the city would have to bow down and worship them, and follow their every command or the city would be left on their own._

 _The best part of the city is outside the city. The woods and the lake is very beautiful._

 _Townsville is a great place, dangerous but for the Powerpuff Girls._

* * *

It had a grade of A-.

As Blossom read the essay, she approached her teacher. "Ms Keane?"

"Yes Blossom?" the teacher replied, as she computed some grades on her desk.

"Can I write a letter to Kenneth? I read his essay, and I want to give my thoughts on it."

"Oh the essay. What do you think of it? I gave it an A since it was very well thought-out one, very well written for a six-year-old, and it did answer the question."

Blossom agreed. He was very intelligent to have thought that. She had to answer him.

"I'm not sure. He made a lot of good points, but I want to write to him about it," she said. "Will you give it to him?"

"Yes, I will," said the teacher after a long pause.

* * *

Later that night…

Blossom again read the essay. Needless to say, she disagreed with his conclusion, but it had provoked her to search for an answer to his points.

She took a piece of paper, and began writing.

* * *

 _ **Kenneth Charles Jojo,**_

 _Hello. I am Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium. Leader of the Powerpuff Girls. I am a student of Ms Keane in Pokey Oakes Elementary. I have read your most recent essay, and I have enjoyed it, even if I don't agree with all of it._

 _But first._

 _If you are not from Townsville, welcome to Townsville. And welcome to being a fellow student of Ms Keane. Now, we may not belong to the same class, but we are both students of Ms Keane. I commend your parents for choosing Ms Keane._

 _I really wish they would allow you to go to school. I am sure you and your brothers will do very well, and you will easily fit in, and make many friends._

 _I, and my sisters too, want to meet with you and your brothers. I am sure we'll get along well. We could arrange a meeting between us. Let us show your parents that the best way to educate you is to enroll in Pokey Oakes Elementary!_

 _You probably already know about it, but I have two younger sisters, Bubbles Joy Utonium, and Buttercup Therese Utonium. We are the Powerpuff Girls! And what a coincidence! You also have two brothers the same age!_

 _But to the main point. I've read your essay. And I am very impressed. Though, I have to say, I don't agree with some of your ideas._

 _We are the Powerpuff Girls. We are blessed with powers that no ordinary human can possess. With such power comes the responsibility to use our powers to protect the city. I would even have to say that our creation became a necessity because of the increased danger._

 _Yes, it is true, the city had come to overly depend on us. You would not believe the ways in which that had happened! They actually called us to screw a light bulb, change tires, get a fly off a soup, and change a kitty litter. One time Fuzzy Lumpkins was Mayor, he even called us to help catch his pig! And the current Mayor called us to open his pickle jar!_

 _So we do not rule the city. We are servants of the city, sworn to protect it. We do what the Mayor tells us to do. We would not dream of ruling the city._

 _I hope this clears your misconception of the nature of our position._

 _I am hopeful of meeting you and your brothers in the future._

 _Oh and Merry Christmas!_

 _Blossom Utonium._

She smiled as she read the letter.

* * *

 _ **77**_ _._ _ **Career Day**_

 _The next day, December 3, 2004, Friday..._

Ms Keane sighed as he looked at the three Rowdyruffs. She really shouldn't have checked their papers at school. But she had no other time to do it! She was too busy with work that she must grab all available time, including lunch break. Unfortunately, the Powerpuff Girls found out.

And after all they that they had done, she cannot refuse their request. They might get suspicious if she refused. It's better for the girls to think that she had nothing to hide, and what better way to do that than to show their quizzes? Of course, only after she was sure that there was nothing on it that would give away their identity did she permit the girls to look at it.

Now she was discussing with the boys about careers.

"Career? What's that?" asked Boomer.

And apparently, they had no idea what that was.

"A career if what you will do when you're all grown up," the teacher explained. "Take me, for example. My career is that of an educator, or a teacher. You could be a police offer, a fire fighter, a doctor, a farmer, or you could be a writer. What do you want in life? What's your ultimate goal?"

Butch raised his hand.

"Butch?"

"Well, that's easy. What do we want? We want to destroy the Powerpuff Girls," the green ruff said.

Boomer nodded.

Still the enemies of the Powerpuff Girls. Their attitude towards the girls would be her greatest challenge!

"Yes, but after that? You're not going to remain kids forever," said Ms Keane. "If you manage to defeat the Powerpuff Girls, what would you do next? Brick, what do you want to be?"

Brick was silent for a bit, before answering. "I'm not sure. All my life, my goal was to defeat the girls. So much so that I haven't thought about what's going to happen next."

"Look, trying to be better than the Powerpuff Girls is a fine goal. But your future should not be just defined by one thing. If it is, then after you've accomplished it, you would be lost. Now, what do you want to do after defeating the Powerpuff Girls?"

Defeat. Not destroy. She would do her best to steer them away from their goal of destroying the girls.

What do the boys really want in life? They must want something other than revenge.

Butch suddenly raised his hand. "Yes Butch?"

"I don't know what I'll be. But I know what Brick will become," he declared.

Both his brothers looked at him with disbelieving looks.

"Brick will become ruler of the world!" he declared.

Well that was unexpected. "Why do you say that?"

"Because most of the comic book villains want to rule the world," the black haired ruff explained. "And since we are villains, we should also make our leader ruler of the world! We will conquer the world!"

"Well that's well and good. But we should ask Brick what he wants to be when he grows up," said Ms Keane.

Brick stood up. "Thanks Butch. And looking at it, my brother is right. I want to rule the world. I would be King. President. Emperor of this planet! And nothing will stand in my way!"

"Yeah!" Butch shouted.

"That's right, Brick!" shouted Boomer, waving his fist.

Suddenly, a bright idea came over to Ms Keane. If this worked, then she could congratulate herself.

"So you want to rule the world, Brick?" asked the teacher.

"Yes, we would."

"And I suppose, that you, Boomer and Butch, would support your brother?"

"Yes! He's our leader!" Boomer stated.

"Of course. But do you know how to conquer the world? It's never been done before."

There was silence. Ms Keane smiled.

"Of course, there were the attempts of various villains to do so, but that failed easily. The closest to conquering the world would be people like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Genghis Khan. You know how they came close?"

"They kicked butt!" Butch asserted.

"Yes, and you know why they were able to do so?"

"They have superpowers?" Boomer asked.

"No. They're just ordinary men. The reason they were able to come close to it was because people followed them. They were leaders of millions. People admired them. You cannot conquer the world, or indeed, anything, just by yourself."

"Wow!" said Brick. "I never knew that. Most world conquest schemes of Pops focus on just destroying the Powerpuff Girls."

"Listen. Do you want to conquer and rule the world?" asked the teacher.

"Yes, I do," Brick said.

"We do," Boomer said, and Butch nodded.

Time to hook them and reel them in!

"I can help you to prepare yourself to be the rulers of the world. Let me ask you something. Do you know why people followed those who nearly conquered the world?" she asked.

"No," Brick said.

"It's because they inspire them. They gave the people something worth fighting for. But also because they are educated. People don't want to follow uneducated boors, you know. And even if people do, they won't succeed in the long run because they won't know how the run the world. Listen, after you conquer the world, you will have the run it, right?"

The boys nodded.

"But you cannot run it if you know nothing. You must be highly educated in order to do that. And being educated starts now, when you are little. When you are educated enough, you would gain enough knowledge that you would know how to conquer the world, and how to inspire people to follow you, and how to run it for your own benefit."

"Oh so you're telling us that this education would have more benefits other than defeating the Powerpuff Girls?" asked Brick.

"Yes. The best way to conquer the world is to win enough people over, people who would follow you and who would die for you. The best way to be able to do that is to be educated. And when you're old enough, you can start and conquer the world!"

* * *

 _ **78\. The Importance of Being Educated**_

"What do you mean, old enough?"

"When you're an adult. In this country, that's 18 years old. But it's better if you start after you've completed college."

"What's college?" asked Boomer.

"I'll explain later. The point is, if you want to conquer the world when you grow up, you must prepare. That preparation should begin now, and you prepare by being educated. You must learn how to interact and deal with people, so you can persuade them to follow you. You must show that if you rule the world, they would benefit, and it's for their own good. But before you can rule, you must show that you can follow. Show them that you are worthy of being their leader. You must not only be educated, but you also be acceptable to them. Who knows? Maybe you can become the next Napoleon, Brick."

Brick had gotten a big smile on his face.

Ms Keane's plan was simple. She wanted them to try to become good citizens. The best way to do so was to persuade them that it would be to prepare them to conquer the world. Thus, being educated, going to college, learning to act normally, would, in their minds, be preparing for ruling the world. And when they graduate from college, they would have already learned the futility and the unreality of such a dream. By that time, 15 years would have passed, and hopefully, the preparation for world conquest would change them into being good.

"So do we have to _pretend_ to be good until then?" asked Brick.

"Well, I won't say you should, but it's the best way to gain followers who would help you to conquer the world," said the beaming teacher.

That's right. _Pretend_ to be good. If they keep that long enough, they will soon become the mask, so to speak, and become really good.

"So, now that that's settled, let's get back on track. Career. What would you be, Brick?"

"Ruler of the World!" he said.

"Very good. How about you, Butch?"

"I would conquer the world for Brick, and I would hold it for him," the green ruff stated.

"So you would be his general. How about you, Boomer."

"I would run the world for him, and help him rule it!" said the blond.

"So you would be his lieutenant, Prime Minister, chancellor."

Ms Keane was very pleased with herself. She finally, finally, found a way to turn them good without explicitly telling them to turn good!

* * *

Later…

It was about seven in the evening. They were eating dinner at the basement.

"Teacher?" asked Boomer as they ate.

"Yes Boomer?"

"Why is there a tree inside your house? Aren't you supposed to keep trees outside, since if it grew, it might give a hole on the roof?" the blond asked.

"It's plastic, dummy!" Butch said, looking at his younger brother.

"Well, that's a good question," Ms Keane said. "It's because it's Christmas."

There were blank faces on her students. Does she really have to tell them about Christmas?

"What's Christmas?" asked Boomer.

They were just created and resurrected in the past year or so, so it was no surprise that they had not heard of Christmas. She'll have to teach them.

"Christmas is a holiday that we celebrate every 25th of December. It's a holiday where we get together with our loved ones and give presents, or in some cases, Santa Claus will give presents."

"Who is Santa Claus?"

This was going to be a long dinner conversation.

* * *

Later…

It was an enlightening conversation, so to speak. They now knew what Christmas was, although their attitude wasn't encouraging. Especially when she told them that Santa Claus gave gifts only to kids who had not been naughty. To those, he would give coal. They retorted that they won't get anything since they're bad, and that anyway, they wouldn't mind coal, as they can convert it into diamonds.

"Well, thank you for that," said Brick as they finished their dinner.

"So how are you celebrating Christmas?" asked the teacher.

"We won't. We're bad. We're villains. Santa won't give anything to us, so why should we celebrate?" asked Brick.

"Give it a chance," said the teacher.

"But we don't even know how to decorate or how to pick a Christmas tree!" Boomer argued.

" _It's that all_? Why don't I help you do that? We can use some of the money from the diamonds to buy the decorations and the tree," Ms Keane suggested.

"Or we could just get a tree in the forest," Brick argued.

"We could do that," said Ms Keane.

"So when can we do that?" the blond asked.

"How about tomorrow, Saturday?" she proposed.

The boys agreed.

* * *

Later…

"Thanks, Ms Keane. We'll be going now," said the boys.

The boys went to the door, preparing to leave, when Ms Keane suddenly called. "Brick! Wait!"

"Yes Teacher?" asked the red-eyed villain.

"I have a letter for you," said Ms Keane.

"What's a letter?" asked Boomer.

"What letter? A, B, C, D?" Brick asked, quite confused.

"A letter. Or a written communication. You see, you remember how I told you before that the Powerpuff Girls saw me checking your papers, right? And that they didn't think it was you. Well, Blossom read your essay, and she wanted to reply, and so wrote this letter."

Brick took the envelop from Ms Keane's hand, and said, "This is interesting. Thanks, Ms Keane." He waved before all three boys left.

Ms Keane closed the door. This was like raising kids. They had to be taught everything! Hopefully, all of this was going to bear fruit.

She wondered if she was making a mistake by encouraging them to set world rulership and conquest as their ultimate objective in life? After all, she was giving them the skills needed to be smart and be sociable. They might, after all, not turn good and really conquer the world when they grow up. Still, it was worth trying. She believed that her method would surreptitiously make them better boys and would make them grow into fine gentlemen.

* * *

 _ **79\. Home Sweet Home**_

 _December 5, 2004, Sunday…_

Boomer grinned as he looked at Fuzzy's, no, their, shack. It was not anymore Fuzzy's shack, but the Rowdyruff Shack. It was transformed into a home fit for little boys.

Part of the transformation was done by Ms Keane.

The most prominent one was a tree inside their shack. It was still green, unlike most other trees outside that had lost their leaves. Their tutor explained that they were evergreen, and thus, they do not lose their leaves during winter. Winter… That was another thing he learned recently as a result of Ms Keane. She explained the four seasons. Summer, fall, winter, spring. He had seen summer, witnessed the forest around the shack during fall, and now, it was winter.

It was cold, really cold, and Teacher spent more of their diamond money for thick clothes.

Going back to their home…

There was the tree inside their shack. It was Pine, Ms Keane told them. There were decorations! She bought a long thing with lights, but there was no electricity, so it was just put it around the Christmas Tree. Then there were metal balls colored red, gold, and yellow hanging round the leaves. And small things like a little reindeer, and other things. Then there was a star at the top. The blond Rowdyruff had to admit that it looked really pretty like that.

The rest of the house was also decorated. There was a big 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' and 'HAPPY NEW YEAR' sign in their front door. There was a picture of Santa Clause in their wall.

But it was not all due to Christmas decorations that caused the biggest changes.

Ms Keane was shocked of the state of their dwelling when she first visited. She insisted that she buy them some decent beds, some blankets, and cushions. She also insisted that they buy things like a refrigerator, a microwave, an electric stove, and a TV. But there was no electricity, so she dropped it. She tried to insist that they should get electricity, have separate rooms, get water, and more.

However, they weren't able to get electricity right away, nor would they be able to get running water. So she settled on buying them a rug for the floor, buying things like more spoons, cups, glasses, knives, spoon, fork for their home. She also bought a gas stove and some frying pans and other cooking utensils.

She also gave them some electric lamps that ran on batteries. So their shack at night was much brighter than before, when they were relying only on the fire from the fireplace.

All in all, he had to admit, their place was a much nicer place to live in than before. All thanks to Teacher.

Teacher offered to move them to an even nicer place. But Brick rejected that. This was their home. He loved the forest. He loved the privacy that the place gives them. And he had grown attached to their house. And besides, he won't be able to hide and keep a low profile if he lived among other people.

Boomer agreed. He liked other kids. He liked to pretend to like them and to pretend to be a normal kid. And he enjoyed playing with them. But he does not want to live with them! He loved the lake, the forest, everything about their place.

So the best thing was to make their shack a really nice place to live in! He had never realized that their home was not a good place to live. But now, he realized how crummy their shack was compared to other houses he had seen and visited.

All in all, after all the recent changes, it was a nice place to live and even spend Christmas in. Speaking of Christmas, Ms Keane said something about gifts. Basically, kids receive gifts on Christmas. The gifts come from two things. One was from Santa Claus, but since he only gave gifts to good kids, they would only get coal since they were evil. And the other was to give gifts to each other. But who would give gifts to the Rowdyruff Boys? Nobody.

Except each other.

Now he had to give gifts. To his glorious leader, Brick. And to Butch. Even if Boomer was dreading his Christmas fight against Butch. Perhaps his best gift would be losing to Butch? No, he would lose but not on purpose. He would try to win. Still, thinking about the upcoming fight gave him the goosebumps.

He decided not to think about it. What gift could he give? He does not know. Still, there would be three weeks to think about it. And also to think on how to beat his middle brother.

They were around the dining table—also brand new thanks to Ms Keane—eating deer, or as he learned, venison. And they were all eating with manners, using knives and forks, and not acting like they did before. Brick would chew them out if they acted without manners. It was part of their education, he explained, and he was nearly getting himself killed every night for that education, and they better show that they learned.

"That was really nice, Butch," Boomer said, smiling, rubbing his stomach. "You really outdid yourself!"

"T'was nothing," he said, but he grinned. "Just the usual. Still, Ms Keane's cooking lessons are really paying off."

"No, that was very nice. You cooked inside the house, not outside," said Brick. It was true. Butch might have killed the deer like he usually did, but after cleaning it outside, instead of lighting a fire and roasting the deer over it like a shish-kabob, he used the knife to slice the meat, and cooked it on the frying pan on the stove. And he had to admit, it tasted differently.

"Thanks," he said with a grin on his face. "Next time, I'll do some wild boar. How about some fish from the sea? I'm sure Ms Keane will be more than happy to teach us how to cook those."

"Us? You mean teach you. I cannot cook if my life depended upon it," said Brick. Boomer agreed. He remembered that he nearly burned the kitchen of their tutor when he tried to cook.

"Well, you're missing out on a lot of fun," said Butch.

* * *

 _ **80\. Leader of the World**_

"I'm sure I'll regret it," he said with a grin, then his mouth turned serious and he looked at his brother. "Butch, I was meaning to ask you this, but I keep forgetting. Why did you tell Ms Keane that I should conquer the world as a career?"

"Well, why not? That's the goal of most comic book villains, and we're the greatest villains, are we not?"

"Yes we are. But I would appreciate it if you asked me first," said Brick. "That way, I actually would know what to say when she asks me something."

"Oh. But don't you want to rule the world after dealing with those annoying Powerpuffs?" asked the black haired ruff.

"Yeah. We should rule the world!" Boomer added.

"I have been thinking about that ever since that day," said Brick. "We've been alive for a short time. And in that short time, we were villains. And people hated us. They disrespected us. They insulted us. Especially those Powerpuff Girls. And boys, you know the best way to get back at all those people?"

"We beat them up?" Butch answered hopefully.

"Yes. But I have a better idea!"

"What?" asked Boomer.

"We will rule the world!" said Brick. "Imagine being the lord of this planet. No more would we have to hide ourselves when we want to do normal things. No more would we have to endure those brickbats from weaklings. No. We are the Rowdyruff Boys! We are the most powerful beings in the world! As such, we deserve nothing less than to be the planet's master! All would bow down to me! Bow down to us! They will all pay for their disrespect!"

"Yeah!" Boomer cheered.

"Ms Keane is right. There are countless villains who have tried it, and failed. Mojo among them. And she's right too about why they failed and why some came close. I've read some history books, and the ones who were closest were not some supervillains. No, they all failed miserably, even the ones in the comic books, right Butch?"

"Yes. They do something idiotic even if the world is in their hands!" Butch ranted.

"So we do what she suggested. We would take over the world—but only after we have graduated from college. By that time, we would be very smart and very educated. And we would be adults. It would be easier to convince people to support us if we were adults and educated."

"So do we really have to pretend to be good?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah. That would suck!" Butch agreed.

"I'm afraid so. Until we graduate. We won't become smart enough or respected enough if we don't, at least, try. Remember. All for taking over the world!" he said with a smile before eating another piece of venison.

"But what about those Powderpuffs?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah! Would we destroy them?" asked Butch. "After all, that is our purpose in life!"

"No. Our purpose is to conquer the world!" Brick said. "What is three little girls compared to Planet Earth?"

"But I want to beat them up!" Boomer whined.

"Who says we won't?" said Brick. "I want revenge as much as you two, but with our new goal, our revenge must be well planned. Or it could backfire. We could lose. Or we might win but fail to take over the world. We must plan our revenge, and I promise you, my brothers, that we will beat and make those girls pay. Oh it would be so nice to see them crawl and beg for mercy! Do you trust me on that?"

"Of course we do, bro," said Butch. "I just want to beat them up! I want to hurt them!"

"Same here. I want so badly to beat them up, I'm willing to do all of this!" said Brick. "I promise you, I'll find a way to get revenge and to try to prepare for ruling the world at the same time. Oh it would be so nice, so glorious!"

"So how do we do it?" asked Butch. "Not the Powerpuff revenge, but how do we prepare?"

"Well, we'll play this one by the ear. I think what we need is to be accepted in normal society. The stupid people must learn to live with us in their streets. How to do it, I have no idea. Especially as they adore those stupid puffs. Do you know, Boomer, how to get revenge and still be able to show our face to the city afterwards?"

"I dunno. If we kill the girls, the city would hate us," he said. Those power sissies really were popular with the kids that he had been playing with and those who went to the library.

"I know. That's the thing! We need to beat them up, but the city loves them, and if we do that, the city will hate us, and we, because of that, won't get enough followers, and thus, we cannot conquer the world when we grow up," said Brick, sighing. "As for now, let's do an oath."

"Another oath?" asked Boomer.

"Yes. This time, to do whatever it takes to conquer the world!" Brick said.

"I'm in," said Butch.

"Me too," said Boomer.

"Okay. You know what to do," said the leader.

They stood and went to the middle of the living room of their tiny shack, and both Boomer and Butch knelt, and raised one hand to Brick.

Brick raised his right hand. "Okay. I, state you name."

"I, Boomer."

"I, Butch."

"Promise to obey me, your leader."

"Promise to obey you, our leader," said Boomer and Butch in unison.

"In everything."

"In everything."

"Whether right, or wrong."

"Whether right, or wrong."

"And you promise."

"And we promise."

"To do everything we have to do."

"To do everything we have to do."

"To conquer the world."

"To conquer the world."

"And I, Brick, promise that I would lead us to glory. I will be ruler of this world, and you will be my lieutenants. I promise you that we would build an empire the likes of which this world had never seen before!"

It was something that Boomer looked forward to seeing. He can't wait to grow up and show everyone!

End of Chapter 8

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

To **GoingQwazy,**

 _I feel like mitch is gonna gat interrogated..._

Oh yes he would. But not yet…

* * *

To **Dogggggggg,**

 _Wow, things have taken an unexpected turn. I didn't expect Brick to threaten Mitch, but I guess they're still evil. The Powerpuffs are still being fooled after all this time, Hah! Also I just found out that you have been writing fanfiction jsut months before i was born...glad to see your still around. Keep updating, this is fun to read :)_

They are evil. More importantly, they still think they are evil. As for the Powerpuff Girs being fooled, well, they're all being so logical. After all, the ghosts were a local legend, and the crooks were exposed, so there was no reason for them to suspect the boys. Especially as the boys would be too stupid, in their mind, to concoct such a plan!

Aw, thanks. Though in fairness, I had a huge break between writings before.

* * *

To **Akum,**

 _Laser has many useful properties than just blasting stuff, nice as always._

Yup, as the Rowdyruff boys had shown in the last chapter.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _NOw this was a hilarious chapter! Those same punks tried to impersonate the Ghosts! It clearly messed up Blossom's thoughts on who really were the ghosts! Bubbles showed some some smarts there, trying to prove to Blossom that those crooks weren't the same ones that put them to sleep._

 _And Ms Keane knows the boys were the Ghosts! Bad Boomer! Making such an obvious slip up!_

Those criminals never learn. Still, given how stupid the Townspeople are, I'm sure they would succeed if they ever try again.

Bubbles showed some common sense, though it led her astray once again. And yeah, Boomer really blundered in accidentally revealing that they were the ghosts to Ms Keane.

* * *

To **John** ,

What a very nice chapter!

Thanks.


	8. II-Christmas Fight

**An Education For Power**

* * *

The Rowdyruff Boys are being tutored by Ms Keane as a way for the boys to gain smarts and at the same time, avoiding school. Chapter 8. Blossom, it seems, has a new penpal. Who is this mysterious boy who Ms Keane was tutoring? And Christmas is approaching, which would make everyone happy, except Boomer is to confront his fears. Could the blue ruff win his most important fight?

 **Book II**

 **Learning From Teacher**

* * *

 **Chapter VIII**

 **Christmas Fight**

 _ **81\. Letters**_

 _December 7, 2004, Tuesday…_

"Blossom?" Ms Keane asked.

It was 3:00 p.m., and the bell had just rang, signaling the end of the class for the day. Blossom went to her teacher as the rest of the class marched out of the room.

"Yes Ms Keane?" asked Blossom as her sisters went ahead of her and waited outside the building.

"For you," the teacher said, smiling as she gave her an envelope.

She looked at the name. _"To Blossom Utonium."_

Who was it from? It was written in the handwriting that she clearly knew. "K.C. Jojo."

"Thank you," she said, putting it in her bag.

"What was that?" asked Buttercup when they met outside.

"Who was it from?" asked Bubbles, a coy smile on her face.

She contemplated not saying anything, but knew that the cat was out of the bag.

"Remember the time I wrote a letter to Kenneth about his essay? He replied," she said as they arrived home.

"Ooh! A reply! Tell us what he says!" Bubbles said as she opened the door and they entered. "Let me read it too!" she said, grabbing the envelop from Blossom's hands.

"Bubbles, this is private!" Blossom admonished as she grabbed it back as they saw the Professor come up from his lab.

They greeted the Professor. Afterwards, she rushed to her room and read the letter.

* * *

 _Blossom Utonium,_

 _Hello Ms Utonium. I am surprised that you replied to me. I am just a nobody, and you are the famous Blossom Utonium, leader of the Powerpuff Girls, and you and your sisters are the most powerful girls in the city, or even the world! A normal boy with no powers should be out of your league. I am shocked! I am astonished! _

_As for meeting with you, we are unworthy. What is a normal boy with no superpowers to the Powerpuff Girls? I am sorry. It's not yet time for any meeting. Though thank you for inviting us._

 _As for school, my brothers hate it. I do too. I heard from many kids that it's a prison, a torture, and I dread going to it. And I hate the fact that you would be struck for a certain number of hours, just sitting in one place, without any choice in the matter._

 _Yeah. What a coincidence. And what a pain too! Especially when they are each other's throats. Bryan tried to bully David into giving him his money. David refused. So they decide to settle the matter by fighting each other within the month. Hopefully, that will solve whatever issues they have with each other, or I will beat them myself! Honestly, I need my brothers, but sometimes, they get on my nerves._

 _Ms. Utonium, I disagree. I believe that you rule the city. You just don't realize it. The city does. They can't live without you. Imagine if you are not here. The city would be gone because of the monsters. Nobody but you among the good guys can stop them. You may call yourselves servants, but for all practical purposes, you can hold the city by its throat, and you can demand anything from the city government._

 _Fuzzy Lumpkins was Mayor? How did that happen. And why is he not Mayor now? Did he retire? Did he lose an election?_

 _As for meeting us in the future, we will meet, sooner than later. And I believe you may be surprised. I am looking forward to seeing you too!_

 _Merry Christmas!_

 _K.C. Jojo_

* * *

Blossom read and reread the letter. She got a piece of paper, and began to write.

 _Ken,_

 _Can I call you Ken?_

 _Please call me Blossom. Ms Utonium is too formal, and I feel that you are Ms Keane or some adult instead of a kid my age._

 _Please do not think of yourself as that. You may be a normal, not like me and my sisters who had superpowers, but that does not mean you are a nobody. In fact, no one is a nobody. Everyone has something in them that makes them special. Like the Powerpuff Girls. Our powers make us special. I am sure that you have something that makes you special. Like your intelligence. Reading your reply, at our age, only shows how smart you are._

 _We, the Powerpuff Girls, should not be thought of as someone on a high pedestal. Really, we are just ordinary girls who got lucky! We don't want to be seen as better just because we have powers._

 _You shouldn't hate it. It's true that you are required to sit in one place, but that is because you need to learn. School is the best way to learn, though having a Tutor in Ms Keane is just as good. You should not be afraid to attend and be a student. If you enroll in Pokey Oakes Elementary, I'll make sure you'll be my classmate, and then we can guide you so it won't be so terrifying. I'm sure you'll take to it like fish to water. I mean, academically, you would find school so easy, being so smart._

 _What? They are going to fight each other? As in punching and kicking each other? Please stop them. They are brothers! They should always love and treasure each other, not be at each other's throats. If you want my opinion, Bryan should stop bullying David and they should just settle their differences by talking it out. Bubbles and Buttercup would sometimes fight, but I always put a stop to it before it becomes serious._

 _Yes, Ken, I admit it. The city is overly dependent on us. But that does not mean we rule it. We would never dream of trying to demand something in exchange, and threatening to withdraw our services if we don't get what we want is something that I don't want to do. We are not that immature! We are not mercenaries! Yes, we are indispensable, but sometimes, I wish we were not so. Then we could relax and have a normal vacation like any other kid. But no, we have to stay in the city during summer because Monsters and Villains will take advantage of our absence._

 _Fuzzy was Mayor! He ran against the Mayor, and won! I cannot figure it out! Why did that hillbilly beat our beloved Mayor? I mean, our current Mayor is the nicest guy you could ever ask for! Not the smartest one, but he has a good heart. And why is Fuzzy not Mayor now? Well, this is embarrassing as a Townsville resident, but the current Mayor beat Fuzzy in a wrestling match, and he became Mayor. Yes, the mayoralty decided by a wrestling match. We even helped the Mayor in that. But that is Townsville! We have crazy laws! One that allows the city to be sold to that brat Princess Morebucks for Turkish delights! And she made crime legal! Imagine that!_

 _Really! I am so excited to meet you! I will be looking forward to it! And Bubbles and Buttercup too!_

 _Thank you for replying to this letter! This meant so much to me!_

 _Blossom Utonium_

 _Commander and the Leader, Powerpuff Girls_

* * *

She looked at her letter, reading and rereading it before she was satisfied. She put it in the envelope.

She was excited. He said that he and his brothers would meet them sooner than later.

* * *

 _ **82\. More Letters**_

Three days later, December 10, Friday…

 _Blossom Utonium,_

 _Ms Utonium, I am sorry that I sounded so formal, but that is only proper way to address you, as you have no other title. I cannot call you by your first name since that would mean we are close and familiar, and_ _we are not._ _And even if we are, you are a Powerpuff Girl, and who am I? Even if you do not want to, I believe that everyone should behave with_ _awe and reverence_ _to someone with superpowers. I do not want to be presumptuous, so please, Ms Utonium, let me pay you respect in my own way._

 _And no, you are not ordinary girls. You are_ _special,_ _and don't you ever deny it. You are NOT ordinary. You are on a level above ordinary kids. No matter what you say, you and your sisters are_ _not equals to the ordinary people_ _. That makes you better than all of them. Y_ _ou are superior_ _because of who you are and what you are._

 _Thank you. But you should thank Ms Keane for my smarts. I would not be even be able to write to you if it were not for her. She is a very good teacher, and I always give thanks that she is our tutor._

 _As for school, even if I wanted to, my brothers_ _hated_ _it. Any mention of school would send them into panic. So it's best that they continue being tutored. Ms Keane has done a very good job. And if we enroll in your school, we would want that Ms Keane would continue to be our teacher. If that happens, and you're still her student, then we would be in the same class._

 _As for fighting? What's wrong with it? It's just a means to blow off steam, and to settle disputes. Both agreed to it, so what's the big deal? I'm sure you and your sisters fight each other too, if only for training. And I'm there to make sure the fight is fair._

 _Ms Utonium, I believe you when you say that_ _you believe_ _that you don't rule the city. But in fact,_ _you do_ _. What will the city do without you? If you do not rule the city, who does? The Mayor? He cannot protect the city. Not like you._

 _The Mayor can do all of that? Didn't anyone stop him? Someone should've stopped him from selling the city for Turkish Delights. Doesn't he have advisors to tell him what's wrong and what's right?_

 _We will meet soon. Me and my brothers are itching to see you, the Powerpuff Girls. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later!_

 _KC Jojo_

* * *

…

 _Dec 7, 2004_

 _KC Jojo,_

 _Please? How would you like it if I called you Mr Jojo? I believe I shall call you that!_

 _Mr Jojo, yes, we're special, and I'm not denying it. The very fact that we're superheroes would show that. And yes, physically, we are blessed, better than the mass of people. But remember that we are all equal in dignity and rights. That is the law._

 _Yes, Ms Keane is wonderful. She is the best. I am glad that she is your tutor. She really did a good job on you three._

 _I can't wait! Finally, some competition! Being at the top of the class without any rival could be boring. As for your brothers, let them try it. I'm sure once they've experienced school, they wouldn't hate it anymore._

 _What's wrong with fighting? Everything! You know that by doing so, they're gonna physically hurt each other. Brothers should not hurt each other! They should love each other. It's wrong, it's barbaric! I wouldn't dream of fighting my sister, either seriously, or for fun! Fighting for fun is something that should not be permitted. And no, we don't fight each other to train. We fight computer simulations that the Professor prepares. They are the best preparation. And one which would not involve hurting each other._

 _The Mayor rules the city. Not us. And he has an assistant, Ms Bellum. She runs the city for him. People say that she really rules the city too. But no. Truth of the matter is, Ms Bellum could persuade the Mayor to do what's right, but if something catches the Mayor's fancy, nothing Ms Bellum or anyone else for that matter could change his mind. Like the time he sold the city to Princess Morebucks for Turkish Delights. Ms Bellum tried to stop it, but failed. Or when he ordered our arrest because some crooks impersonated us. Ms Bellum tried to stop him, but failed. Or when he went to a balloon and tried to stop crime using an extendible hand._

 _Picking up the pieces after the Mayor is a hard job!_

 _Great! When can we meet you? Perhaps a play date? Bubbles surely would love to meet your brother, David. She's really impressed with his drawings. It was so realistic. And I agree with it._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom_

* * *

…

 _Dec 10, 2004_

 _Ms Blossom Utonium,_

 _It's okay by me, Ms Utonium. I'm Mr Jojo! That sounds so adult-like!_

 _That's what the law says. But it shouldn't be that way. People with superpowers should have more rights under the law than ordinary people._

 _Ms Keane is the best! Seriously, she is just the best._

 _Are you sure about that? I heard you're number one in class. If I'm there, there's a good chance you'll be number two. Be careful of what you wish for!_

 _People box and do Mixed Martial Arts! That's fighting, and that's legal! They're fighting for fun and money. How is it different from my brothers fighting?_

 _That's an interesting way to train. So you don't fight someone real? By the way, who was your toughest opponent? I've heard that there were a lot of monster and villains that you fought. Any particular villain that stands out?_

 _Oh! So that's why the Mayor was able to do all those things. Thanks!_

 _You were arrested?_

 _As for the date, I'm not sure when. But you will know soon enough._

 _KC Jojo_

* * *

…

 _Dec 13, 2004_

 _Mr Jojo,_

 _Fine Mr Jojo! That sound soooo adult-like!_

 _No. That is wrong. Just because I have more powers does not mean I should have more rights than others. The Constitution and laws state that I am equal to all. And that's how it should be. The very fact that I have powers is the very reason that I should always see to it that I show myself as their equal. They know that they are inferior in powers and physical strength. Why rub it in? It's better to show that you don't have airs and think you're just like them._

 _You wish! I am the smartest kid in town! I am Blossom, the smartest one! You may be smart, but so am I! I can't wait to show you how smart I really am!_

 _I do not approve of boxing and MMA. Many people are arguing that it should be banned. I am one of them. Don't you know many people accidentally get killed while boxing and wrestling?_

 _Yeah. But the Mayor means well, so all's well that ends well! Let's hope he doesn't do something we'll all regret!_

 _Villains? The toughest would probably a monster that we fought. Me and Buttercup tried different approaches. Buttercup just kept attacking. I am more tactical. It didn't work. Then Bubbles just asked nicely! And it worked! The monster just left!_

 _The most difficult to defeat of our enemies is the Rowdyruff Boys. They actually beat us the first time we fought! We had to do something, that I'd rather not tell, to beat them! Then when they came back, I'd rather forget the things they did! It's disgusting! But they're dumb. They cannot even spell the word 'dumb', so it's easy to outsmart them, like we did time and time again! And now, they seemed to become cowards. They don't show their faces! The only thing they did recently was make trouble in school, and they suddenly fled after we discovered them._

 _Yes I was arrested. It was a total miscarriage of justice. The police got fooled by a stupid costume._

 _I can't wait to meet you!_

 _Blossom_

…

* * *

 _December 16, 2004_

 _Ms Blossom,_

 _Ms Utonium, I disagree on that. The mere fact that you have superpowers and such makes your situation unique and different, and therefore, I believe, different laws should apply to you._

 _Well I'm no slouch either! I am not yet as smart as you, Ms Utonium, but I am catching up. And I am gonna be the smartest! Just you wait._

 _I disagree! I love boxing and wrestling!_

 _Bubbles actually did that! That's interesting! As for the Rowdyruffs, that's interesting. From what I'm hearing, you shouldn't worry about them. They're stupid, and they would stand no chance against you in a fight._

 _You let yourself be arrested even if you know you're right? Why? You can easily resist arrest! You should at least have tried to escape!_

 _KC Jojo_

…

* * *

 _Dec 20, 2016,_

 _To KC Jojo,_

 _Yes, Mr Jojo, I agree with that. Some laws should be changed. However, that does not mean that in principle, we should have better treatment. If there is different treatment, it should only because of the consequences of our saving the day. Not because we are better merely because of our superpowers._

 _I am so looking forward to the day when you're in my class! And no, you will never catch up with me! I am Blossom, the Commander and the Leader, and the smartest puff!_

 _Let's just agree to disagree on boxing and fighting._

 _Yeah. Bubbles has a special gift with animals and monsters. She can actually talk to them. It proved to be very useful on more than one occasion. Though to be fair, you can actually talk to monsters. We happen to know their names, like Fred. They talk English too!_

 _As for the Rowdyruffs? Well, their power and strength is a worry, but nothing that cannot be overcome by using our brains. Perhaps they are hiding because they know how futile it is to fight the Powerpuff Girls._

 _Yes I did. You see, we're superheroes. My mission in life is to be a shining beacon, to be an inspiration to everyone, to be an example. And what kind of an example would I be if I don't go to jail if I committed something wrong, or if I resist arrest? If I did wrong, and the penalty is jail, I would go to jail. Willingly. If people are mistaken about me, and think that I've committed a crime, and there is a valid arrest warrant against me, I will go to jail. When the truth comes out, and it will, I will be vindicated._

 _As for escaping, it is wrong. And I would not have done it. But Buttercup broke out of jail. The deed was done. I might as well take advantage of it. We got the real crooks, but the Mayor threw us back in jail for escaping! But we were cleared soon after, and we were vindicated. Justice was served! Even if it was late._

 _Sorry about that._

 _Looking forward to meeting you._

 _Blossom._

* * *

 _ **83\. The City Government**_

 _December 23, Thursday…_

"Today, we're going to discuss civics and laws," said Ms Keane to her three students in her basement. "Normal students don't normally learn it at your age, since most of what I'm gonna teach you right now should be taught by your parents. So let's begin. We're gonna learn about laws, and why people need to obey them."

Butch raised his hand.

"Yes, Butch?"

"But teacher! We're evil! Why do we need to learn about it? We don't follow laws!" the green ruff argued.

"But how would you know that you are violating laws if you don't know the laws? Wouldn't it be better to know about the law, and then violate it? It's more evil that way, and you can't make excuses about being ignorant," the teacher argued.

"I guess that makes sense," said Boomer.

"And besides, you are also pretending to be normal, and you're going to pretend to be good so you can prepare for ruling the world," said Ms Keane. "It's better if you know the laws, otherwise, you cannot pretend. And you can also use knowledge of the law to assist you in taking over the world."

The three boys nodded. She was hoping that by knowing the laws, and "pretending" to follow it, she would ingrain in them a habit of being law-abiding, so that if they wanted to break the law, they would have to think about it.

"Besides, it's more evil if you think before deliberately breaking the law. The breaking must have some evil purpose, and actually aid in conquering the world. Ask yourself, would breaking this particular law help me in ruling the world? If not, then you're not really doing evil by breaking the law. You're just being mindless boors!" she argued.

"Oh okay," said Brick.

"First, let's discuss the City of Townsville," she began.

* * *

 _Later…_

"The Mayor of Townsville is the Chief Executive of the city. He is elected by the people for a term of four years, and if he dies, the deputy mayor becomes Mayor."

Brick raised his hand.

"Yes, Brick?"

"Can the mayoralty be decided by a wrestling match? I heard that Fuzzy was Mayor, but the former Mayor and Fuzzy held a wrestling match. The former Mayor beat Fuzzy, and became the current Mayor."

How did he learn about it? Blossom probably told him by letter. That was really embarrassing for the teacher to teach. She sighed.

"Well, that was unconventional," she admitted. "But the city charter did say that the Mayor could hand it over to another qualified individual by any method that is not illegal. And a wrestling match, is not unlawful." It was really embarrassing for her to teach this aspect of the city. "And Fuzzy did agree. The deputy mayor only comes to office if the current Mayor dies, got impeached, or resigns. Any more questions? Yes Brick?"

"Is it true that Princess Morebucks actually bought the Mayoralty for Turkish Delights?" the redheaded leader asked.

"Yes he did," said Ms Keane. "As I said, the current Mayor could by agreement hand it to anyone he likes. And since there was no minimum age required to be Mayor, then Princess is qualified. Unfortunately."

"Did she really make crime legal?" Brick asked.

"Yes. You see, the City has autonomy from the state government. That meant it has it's own criminal laws distinct from the state. Although for convenience, the city and the state had pretty much identical laws. And yeah, the city council technically is the law making branch, but the Mayor is the single most powerful man in the city. He can make laws by decree, and he has an absolute veto over laws from the council. So you should treat him nicely."

"Why?" asked Boomer.

"Aside from the fact that he has all that power, he also has the power to grant an absolute pardon for all crimes committed in the city. If you are going to pretend to be good and try to start living in society without the police harassing you, you need a pardon for all the things you have done that you could be charged with."

"Wait. Do you mean that if the Mayor grants a pardon, all your crimes would be wiped away, as if you did not even commit them?"

"Yes. It wipes your record, clean as a slate. Your crimes would be literally expunged, and it's as if you did not even do it," said Ms Keane.

* * *

 _Later…_

Ms Keane was proud of herself. The boys were hanging on her words! All without technically violating their agreement of not teaching the boys morality or telling them that what they were doing was wrong.

"Now you know why killing and stealing will land you in jail. It is against the law. If you want to fool people in thinking you're really good, and to make them follow you in order to have supporters so you can conquer the world, you should follows the laws. Wait a minute, I need to check something upstairs."

* * *

 _Later…_

They were eating dinner. It was to be the last dinner before Christmas, before they go on their Winter Break. So it was quite a celebration. But she was anxious. A snowstorm came up, and she was worried about their health, especially with the state of their home in the woods.

She remembered the first time she paid a visit, specifically to help them decorate for Christmas. She was appalled by the state of their house, or as they termed it, their shack. She felt very sorry for her students. No wonder they knew nothing about electricity, technology, and so much more.

She decided that not only would she help in decorating the house, she would make it as livable to little boys as possible. Of course, she offered them another place to live, even her own home, but the boys, proud of their independence, refused. So she had been left with the option to try to make the shack… habitable for normal little boys.

* * *

 _ **84\. Snowstorm**_

Electricity and running water were the main problems. Unfortunately, it was an intractable one that defied solution. In theory, it was easy to call the electric company and to connect the shack to the grid, but that would mean that the boys would be discovered. Only the Powerpuff Girls and Fuzzy Lumpkins knew they lived there, and the boys had no desire for other people to know of their whereabouts.

So she had to buy things that do not need electricity, like the gas stove, the beds, the tables, the cushions.

Their problems would soon go away. She was planning something. She managed to convince the boys to "pretend" to be good until they grew up. Which meant that they would no longer be evil. A pardon could easily be obtained from the lovable if gullible mayor. Then she would have the electric company connect their home with electricity.

She smiled. Progress on their intelligence and becoming smart was extremely fast, and progress on them becoming good was surprisingly not that slow either.

Going back to the night, she observed the boys eating dinner. They were little darlings, cute, adorable, even if they still insisted that they were evil. _Could they survive the snowstorm outside?_ They could. After all, they have superpowers.

 _But their shack!_

Their shack had no electricity! They would have to keep warm solely from the fireplace. Even if it was adequate for a normal winter night, it was not a normal winter night. It was so cold that the temperature dropped below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

As it was approaching ten in the evening, she watched the boys as they prepared to leave. They were donning their thick coats.

"Thanks, Ms Keane," said Brick, giving her the diamond of the day.

"Boys," she said as she accepted her payment, "why not spend the night here? It's too dangerous to fly out there by yourselves, and you don't have any electricity at your home."

"Thanks for the offer, Teacher," said Brick. "But we'll manage. We're the Rowdyruff Boys. A little cold won't bother us. And don't worry. We have enough firewood to last us the night."

"Please consider my offer," said the Teacher, her worry becoming more evident. "You could freeze to death in your sleep!"

The three boys smiled.

"Don't worry," said Boomer. "We'll manage!"

"Yeah. You worry too much, Ma'am," said Butch.

"See ya in January," said Brick as the three opened the door.

It was cold. It really was freezing as the wind and snow entered the house in the brief moment that it was opened. The door closed, and they left.

Those boys could be really stubborn! Maybe she should have been more forceful on the issue? Then maybe they would have listened to her. Then again, maybe they won't. After all, it was not part of their education. And they really were so proud. They cannot and will not accept charity, and they only accepted her help when she persuaded them that all the things that she bought for them came from the sale of the diamonds, and thus, technically, they paid for it! And it was true! The diamonds were giving her so much money, that even after spending all that money for the boys, there was a lot left for her.

The total that she got, so far, was $500,000, since they never missed a payment, and the diamonds were worth $10,000 each. The mortgage of her new home was easily being paid. And so was the mortgage of her parent's farm. And her credit card bills were paid. Even after spending all that money for their clothes, the things for their shack, their books, their daily allowance, there was still about $250,000 left. She could not in good conscience take all of it! The money should belong to the boys!

And the boys, even after all this time, still did not appreciate the value of money. But right now, money was the least of her concerns about her students.

She worried. They could freeze to death in their little shack. She really should have insisted. She would never have forgiven herself if something bad happened.

…

* * *

 _One hour later…_

She was washing her face when she heard the doorbell ring.

She immediately got her face towel, wiped her face, and rushed to the front door. She opened it and was shocked.

It was the Rowdyruff Boys. Despite their thick clothes, despite their powers, they were freezing. They were shivering.

"Hello," said Brick, a bit embarrassed. "It was a bit too cold. The door of the shack was frozen and it won't open. And we can't destroy it since it would make it worse. Could we… spend the night? I promise I'll get you more diamonds during the break."

"Come in, come in," she said, clearly relieved as she lighted her fireplace. Boomer was shivering. She could see ice on his blond hair, and his face was very pale and nearly blue. Butch was also very pale, his black hair covered with snow and ice as they sat on the couch. Brick was the worst. He was violently shivering, and his long hair was frozen stiff.

"We tried using our powers to keep warm," said Boomer in a sad voice, "but it didn't work."

Finally, the fireplace had a blazing fire, and the boys went and warmed themselves even as Ms Keane turned on her thermostat. She prepared hot chocolate drinks for the three of them.

"Thanks," Brick said as he clutched the mug in his hand, relishing the heat, before taking a sip.

Boomer got the cup, his hand shaking, and drank it greedily, his hand tightly clutching his mug. "Thank you, Ma'am."

Butch only nodded, as he grabbed his drink.

Gradually, color returned to their skin as they became warm.

"I never knew it would be this cold," said the leader of the Rowdyruffs. "This was the coldest night I've ever experienced."

"This snowstorm is quite unexpected," said the Teacher as she drank her hot chocolate.

"Yeah. Winter is fun. Lots of snowball fights and building snowmen, but this is too much," the blond commented.

"Yeah. We're getting colder faster than we can use our powers to warm ourselves," Butch added.

"Boys, we better get you in bed. It's midnight, and it's way past your bedtime. If you were the Powerpuff Girls, the Professor would have a fit!" she laughed.

"Yeah. They won't be as stupid as to go into a shack in the middle of a snowstorm," Brick said.

The boys went and brushed their teeth in the lavatory of her bathroom. Ms Keane had learned that they had no concept of brushing their teeth when they first approached her. She remedied the problem by buying them toothbrushes, and always insisting that they brush their teeth before they commence with the days' lessons, and just before the leave.

Afterwards, she gave them pyjamas that she bought for them. She was planning on giving it to them as Christmas presents, but she changed her mind. She had other presents for them anyway.

They were led to the guest bedroom, and the three boys, exhausted, went to the bed, with the leader in the middle, Boomer on the right, Butch on the left. She tucked them in.

"Thanks, Ms Keane," Butch said in a soft tone, surprising the Teacher.

"Yeah. We promise that we would always be loyal to you, and we would never hurt you," Brick said, looking at her in gratitude.

"You're way nicer than Mojo and Him ever were," Boomer added. "Thank you, M'a'm."

"Think nothing of it, boys," she said as she walked to the door and closed the door.

Ms Keane never would have thought it possible just a few months ago. But they were really winning her heart.

* * *

 _The next day, December 24, 2004, Friday…_

It was about noon. The weather had cleared, and it was warmer than it was the night before, although it was still freezing. But looking outside, the entire city was blanketed in white, just in time for Christmas. She had already packed her things as she prepared to drive to her parents' farm where she would spend her Christmas. Brick and Boomer were helping her put her things in the car.

"Well boys, it had been a pleasure," she said, smiling, looking at the three. "I'm going to spend Christmas in the farm. Are you sure you won't come with me?"

"No thanks, Ms Keane. They might not be as welcoming to us as you are," Brick said.

"Where's your brother?" asked the teacher, looking for their middle brother.

"MS KEANE!" they heard a shout as a green streak approached. It was Butch. Carrying something big. It was dead deer.

"Well, you said that it's time for giving gifts. We won't see you till January, so here's ours," he said. "Merry Christmas."

"Venison is one of our favorite food," said Boomer. "Please accept it."

She looked at her three students. All three were looking at her with big eyes, and were expecting her to accept it. It would really crush their hearts if she refused.

But it was a really unorthodox gift. But her parents would know what to do with it. Maybe they could eat it for Christmas, and make the head into a trophy for her father's wall? It would make him happy.

"Thank you," said the teacher, "but could you help me wrap it?"

"Yes, Teacher," Brick said. They got large piece of cloth, and wrapped the deer on it, then tied it to the roof of the tutor's car.

She entered the house one last time, looked for something, found it, and walked out of the house. "Boys!"

She was carrying three gifts covered in wrapping paper.

"Merry Christmas, boys," she said. "This is for you, Butch. Boomer. Brick. Please put it under your Christmas Tree. And please promise me you won't open it until tomorrow morning. Perhaps Santa will give you some presents."

"More likely we'll get some coal," said Brick, "since we're evil. And it's fine! After all, diamonds become coal!"

They all laughed at that. Ms Keane gave them each a warm hug, and the boys hugged back.

The boys watched as she locked her front door, entered her car, and drove away.

* * *

 _ **85\. Christmas is Here!**_

Boomer was really sad that he wouldn't see his teacher until January. It would be barely more than a week away, but to him, it was like a lifetime. He liked her so much. This was the last thing he expected when Brick first proposed to get Ms Keane as Teacher.

"Won't she be surprised when they cut the deer open, and they find two diamonds inside?" Butch asked.

"Yes," he said as he stared as the car got smaller and smaller in the distance. "You know, I don't want to hurt her."

"Same here," said Butch.

"She's the kindest normal human I've known," Boomer added.

"But if we destroy the Powerpuff Girls, we're gonna hurt her for sure," Brick said, deep in thought as they flew high into the air. "And I don't wanna hurt her."

"But I want to destroy them!" Boomer whined.

"Me too. How can we get revenge? I don't want her to cry! I don't want her to be disappointed in me! But why? I'm evil! I want to destroy the Powerpuff Girls!" he stated. "And I promise you, we will get our revenge sooner than later."

Boomer nodded. He would beat up those sissies worse than Brick beat Butch or Butch beat him. He really _**hated**_ the girls!

"Should we open our gifts now?" asked Butch, looking at the present he was holding in his hand as they flew home.

"We made a promise to Teacher. We will keep that promise," Brick solemnly declared as they arrived in their home. The ground was white, completely covered in show, and there was a build-up of snow that blocked the door to their shack.

He gave his present to Boomer, who held it as he watched Brick melt the snow blocking the door using his laser eyes. Then he used laser to thaw the frozen door. When he was able to, he opened the door, and the three boys entered. They put their presents under the tree.

It was very cold inside the shack, so Boomer went outside, chopped some firewood, and brought it to the fireplace, where Butch lighted it using his laser eyes.

They warmed themselves by the fireplace…

* * *

It would have been a holiday of perfect happiness for Boomer but for one thing.

He had an impending fight with Butch. A fight that was very important. If he loses, he would essentially become his middle brother's slave. If he wins, he would finally be respected by both his brothers.

But how can he win? Their last fight showed Butch's superiority over him. Boomer was weaker than his brothers, he would admit to himself. But he really needed that win! If he wins, if he wins…

But if he loses, it will be all over for him as a Rowdyruff. How can he be better than the Princess Bubbles if he cannot even have self-respect? He would be forever bullied by his stronger brothers if he doesn't do something.

He will win. He had to.

…

* * *

 _The next day, December 25, 2004, Saturday, Christmas Day…_

He opened his eyes. It was very cold, even if it was not as cold as the snowstorm two days ago. It was a good thing that he was inside the shack, and the warmth provided by the fire the night before had not been totally lost. He looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning. He really does not want to get out of bed. The very very thick blankets were very comforting, giving him warmth. In addition, he was wearing very thick clothes.

But he wanted to know what gift Ms Keane gave him, and if Santa Claus did leave gifts for the three of them.

He forced himself out of the bed, and went to the living room. Butch and Brick were already awake, and thankfully, there was a big fire on the hearth.

"So sleeping beauty's finally awake!" Butch teased. "Finally, we can open our gifts!"

He nodded as he looked at the kettle on the stove. He went and made himself some hot chocolate to get more warmth to his shivering body.

"Anything from Santa?" Boomer asked.

"Look at it," said Brick, pointing to the three stockings hanging by the fireplace.

There was a lump of coal inside each of them.

"See, we're really evil!" Brick laughed. "But it was really nice of Santa to give something to make more diamonds for Teacher!"

They got their gifts from under the three.

Brick's gift was really big. When he opened it, it was an encyclopedia. _World Book Encyclopedia_. It had about 25 volumes, from A to Z. His red eyes widened as he stared at his gift. He took one volume, A, and began browsing it fast. "This is even better than the _World Book_ in the library!" he said with a giddy tone as he browsed book after book.

Butch got three volumes of Comic Books.

 _History of Major Glory._

 _Superman 1950s_

 _History of the World Through Comic Books_

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh happy time!" he stuttered as he stared at his gifts. "This is awesome! Comic books! Comic books!" He had a large grin in his face as he hurriedly opened the plastic covering of the comic and began reading.

Boomer wondered what he got from Ms Keane. He opened his, and there were two gifts. At the bottom of the box was a water coloring set. He looked at it, and he had no idea how to use it. Then there was an art book, with big white paper. He assumed that he should draw on it. There were crayons, pencils, coloring pens and more art materials.

He really loved it.

But above the box with the art materials was teddy bear. A big, giant, teddy bear. It was the same teddy bear that he had been saving for, and the same teddy bear that was the reason he refused to give his money to his middle bother. It was bigger than him. It was dark brown, and had blue eyes. He looked at the tag. Its' name was Mr Bear.

He hugged it. It was so soft and so nice.

It was the happiest day of his life.

 _If_ he didn't have to fight his brother. A fight he was sure to lose.

He better get it over with. After all, he might even win.

* * *

 _ **86\. The"Fight"**_

"Butch?" asked Boomer.

"What is it?" Butch said with his eyes barely leaving his comic book.

"Today is the twenty-fifth, and we are gonna fight, right? Remember our bet? You wouldn't call me dumb if I win! And I wouldn't have to do what you say, Butch!"

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot about it!" said the middle brother. "Thanks for reminding me. And as I recall, you would do everything I say if I win."

Stupid! Boomer felt foolish. Butch totally forgot! If he had kept his mouth shut…

Brick put down his book. "You sure have a death wish. Want to do this now?"

"Yeah!" Butch said. "I wanna fight! I want to do violence! Violence! Violence!"

Despite all his fear and misgivings, Boomer nodded.

"Okay, let's do this. Same place," said the leader.

As they were flying towards the venue of their fight, Boomer kept thinking on how he could beat Butch. What should he do in this fight that he did not do in their first fight? Well, he did everything in that fight, and he got his butt handed to him. He did everything. He's gonna get his butt handed to him. His butt!

Butt. Bat. Bat? Electric bat?

He did everything that first time except use his electric bat!

The bat! Of course! He completely forgot about his bat during that first fight. Then he remembered how easily Buttercup, Butch's counterpart, fell with just one hit on the head with that bat. Granted, they were completely defenseless, but still…

He would use the bat the moment the fight starts.

They arrived, and stood on opposite sides of a clearing.

"You know the rules. Begin!"

Butch immediately charged. Boomer rushed his brother, and formed his electric bat, and swung it as hard as he could as his brother lunged at him, sidestepping his brother's attack. It hit him directly on the head, catching Butch unawares. To the surprise of all, he went down.

"Yeah!" Boomer cheered, but he knew that he was lucky. He did not give his brother a chance to recover, and while he was on the ground, he repeatedly hit his middle brother on the head with the electric bat. "Take that! And That! And this!"

A pool of blood formed around his brother's prone form. He immediately backed away.

He did it! He beat his brother! Granted, he was lucky that he was able to hit Butch first and on the head too. But he still won.

"ONE!" Brick began counting. "TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX!"

Then Butch stirred and stood up. He was badly beaten up, and he was breathing heavily. His clothes were red with blood that liberally streamed forth from the gaping wound on his forehead. His electric bat was deadly!

"Oh you got me there!" said Butch. "Nice move! But it won't work twice!"

Now Boomer was terrified. That should have been enough to put his brother down.

Butch rushed him, but Boomer was quicker and flew to the air, avoiding his middle's brother's attack. It was easy to avoid, as Butch, hurt and losing blood, was noticeably weaker, and thus, slower, than before. So he was damaged by the beating he gave his brother! Butch went after him, and Boomer's eyes glowed and he fired his laser eyes. Butch immediately formed his shield, and it blocked the energy attack. Boomer took the opportunity to go the ground. Butch then dove towards the blond. Boomer knew what to do. His bat magnified his physical attacks, and made it as strong, if not stronger, than Butch's physical attacks.

Boomer waited until Butch was very close. And swung his electric bat.

It did not connect.

Butch caught it with his bare hands. His bare hands. "Told you it wouldn't work!" he smirked triumphantly.

Then something unexpected happened.

Butch got shocked.

Literally.

Electricity flowed from his bat towards the body of Butch through his bare hands. Boomer could see the lightning from the bat coursing through the body of his brother, and he was shaking! The current coursing through Butch's body was making him shake, and making him smoke.

"For God's sake, let go, Butch!" Brick shouted.

It was a minute or so later that Boomer dissolved the bat, and Butch fell to the ground, face first.

Brick began counting. "ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEN!"

"Is the fight over?" Boomer asked.

"The winner! Boomer David Jojo!" Brick proclaimed, briefly raising his brother's hand before going back to Butch.

"Is he okay?" Boomer asked, concerned for the green ruff.

"He'll live," Brick said. "He was knocked out by that electricity. I'm telling you, Boom, that bat of yours is really handy! I mean, I knew that it would make your strikes harder than with your bare fist, and I knew that you should use it to win, but I never knew that you could use it to electrocute someone."

"I never knew that too," Boomer said. So he got a new power. No, _his bat_ has a new power. But it was the same thing anyway. "But why wasn't I shocked by that power?"

"You created that electric bat, so perhaps you're immune to it?" Brick suggested as he picked up his fallen sibling and they flew home. "Oh, since you won, you're gonna do our Christmas lunch."

Boomer nodded, and he flew away from Brick.

* * *

Later…

"Oooh! What happened?"

Boomer looked at the bed his brother had been laying. He was inside the house, with a knife, preparing the dead wild boar for their lunch.

Brick, who was reading a book besides the bed, looked at him. "You got beat by Boom. Beaten badly!"

Butch had a bandage wrapped around his head, but he still struggled to get out of bed. He looked around and saw the blond, and he walked towards him.

What would Boomer do? Should he say sorry? Why should he? He had nothing to be sorry about? And crowing about his win wasn't an option. It might make things worse.

Butch stopped and looked at his brother. "Looks like you're doing lunch."

Boomer nodded.

Butch chuckled. "Please make it edible! I don't want to have indigestion in my first Christmas!"

"I'm not a good a cook as you are," Boomer replied.

"Are you sorry?" Butch asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you sorry you beat me up?"

Why was Butch bringing it up? Boomer wanted to keep the entire thing quiet to avoid further trouble. How can he reply?

"I'm not."

"Why? You beat me up!"

"It was a fair fight. We were supposed to try and beat each other up," Boomer replied.

"So you grew a backbone!" the green ruff laughed. "You beat me up! You beat me up even better than Brick over there did! You beat the Baron of Berserk, the toughest ruff! And you did it easy!"

What could Boomer say to that? "I know. But I was lucky. You're still the toughest!"

"Don't be modest, little bro! That use of the bat was genius!" he praised. "I'm sorry for trying to get your money."

Now that was unexpected. Butch apologizing for bullying him? What was the world coming to?

"It's okay," said Boomer, feeling really proud.

"And my gift to you, little brother, is this!" he gave him a playful punch in the shoulder, and hugged him, then suddenly punched him the gut.

Butch laughed as Boomer, dropped his knife, and doubled in pain. The middle brother looked proudly at his prone brother. "I'm wrong! You're no wimp! You're no dummy!"

Boomer tried to pick himself up as Butch's punch was really painful. "Doesn't sound like it."

"That's revenge for beating me up. But I'm proud of you, little brother! And I was wrong about you! You're as good a ruff as me and Brick! And I'm very sorry for thinking that you're not in the first place."

Boomer felt a swell of pride inside of him even as the pain in his tummy subsided and he picked up the knife on the floor.

"Thank you," Boomer said.

* * *

Later…

"So how's the pork?" Boomer asked as both his brothers ate.

"Not bad. Though not as good as Butch."

"Well, it's good enough, but not as good as when I cooked. But then, who could cook better than the Baron of Berserk?" Butch said.

"Anyway, I have a gift for you, Boom."

Both brothers looked at their leader. "What is it?"

"Well, I was wrong about you, Boom! You're not weak at all! You're every inch a ruff! I'm proud of you, little brother! You not only agreed to fight Butch even if the odds were against you, but showed guts! You showed so much guts in agreeing to be Butch's servant! You won the bet, Boomer. And thus, we would no longer call you, _Dumber than the Dumbest_!"

"Aw thanks!" Boomer said. Now he really was swelling with pride.

"I'm now giving you, as my gift, my title. You are now _the Duke of Destruction_."

"What? Why?" Boomer said, dumbfounded.

"Why not? I am already the Bludgeoner, the Master Masher and the King of Crushing. One less title ain't much," said Brick. "Merry Christmas, Boomer!"

"But why Duke of Destruction?" asked the blond.

"To match your middle name! Remember that Kenneth Charles stands for King of Crushing, and Bryan matches Baron of Berserk. You're David, so it must be D."

Suddenly, Boomer remembered. That first night in the library. He dreamed about Brick being _Puss_ _in_ _Boots_ and he, Boomer, was the master of Brick. The cat Brick actually called him, and made him, "The Duke of Destruction."

" _This belongs to my lord and master, Boomer, Duke of Destruction!"_

And now, that dream came true! He was now made Duke of Destruction! He's no longer Dumber than the Dumbest!

Wait, does that mean that the other parts of the dream would come true? Would Princess Bubbles actually kiss him again, and then marry him?

He nearly fainted at the prospect. Marrying Bubbles in the future nearly made being Duke of Destruction almost not worth it.

Almost.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author Notes,**

To **GoingQwazy,**

 _I hope boomer wins :o_

 _Update soon pls_

And your wish is my command! Boomer wiped the floor with Butch with ease!

To **JamaicanBlood,**

 _I love what your doing with their personalities. Keep up the good work, I love reading this fanfic._

Thank you. I wanted to evolve their personalities, so the changes would be visible, yet at the same time, be believable all the same.

To **Nexux258** ,

 _Geez even though Mitch is a bad boy with mischief, I can't help but feel bad for the guy. But he's gonna get punished anyway. XD Man wait till the powerpuffs realize the whole time the rowdyruffs were behind the whole scene lol._

Yeah, Mitch is playing with fire. The Rowdyruffs is gonna use him to get to the girls, but Mitch himself doesn't mind being used as long as he could get his revenge. Hopefully for him, the boys would be in a position to protect him when his role comes out, before then, he better be careful.

 _You know I always liked your stories more because they're focused with the powerpuffs as kids and not teens, they have deep plots and more humor, and not with the ships that most stories use in their romantic bullcrap. I'm really sick of those kinds of teenage stories being dramatic. Anyway, keep it up! This is really great so far._

Thanks. That's what gets me on shipping fics. We know that based on the show, there's no way that they are going to be together. However, they were also kids, and they might grow up to like each other. But it should be shown how they went to that point, how they grew up to not only tolerate each other, but also become companions and friends.

To **Akum,**

 _hahaha, how amazing it is...love it, cu soon!_

Akum, thank you once more! It's nice seeing you review me after all these years.

To **Meme Dank Meme,**

 _YAY! AN UPDATE DDDD! Those chemical x beings sure are intelligent. And just a question: Are you going to reference William Edwards?_

This series was different from that of Allies and Rivals, since that series was started before _The Boys Are Back in Town_ started. So I'm trying to see what would happen after _Custory Battle._

To **TheGlassRose,**

 _UPDATE! I love this story so much!_

Thank you very much. Your words mean so much to me.

To **Hinate,**

Chapter 1

Reds Forever...

 _yes I agree on the authors brick is in every way equal to blossom he is op smart and more... it's just what he is..._

Yup, he is equal to Blossom, but not on this point in the story. He still cannot spell 'dumb' at this point. So the story is how he got smart and be the equal of his counterpart.

Chapter 2

 _Reds Forever..._

 _Damn it's getting interesting for sure..._

And this chapter's events have big implications on events down the line.

Chapter 7,

 _Brick x Blossom forever..._

 _Op rulling the world again ka... amazing atleast something to look forward to... also waiting for new fic for Allies series :D_

Well, they still think themselves as evil, so ruling the world is a nice goal for them. As for Allies series, I'm afraid that's on hiatus right now.

Chapter 6,

 _Brick x Blossom forever..._

 _ohhhh man I forgot the most important thing ... pls bring Dr. Edwards man he is best ... ah I can't believe I forgot to mention in last review anyways the doc is amazing can't forget it you gave us an OC who became legend lol... now I everytime think of em I remember doctor as their dad..._

Thank you. Dr Edwards is my favorite character next to the puffs and ruffs in the Allies and Rivals series.

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _That's really smart and cunning of Ms Keane-making them "pretend" to be good in order to be able to conquer the world. Really clever of her, I must say._

 _Looking forward to more!_

Yup! They are being made good without realizing it or even resisting it!

To **John,**

Chapter 1

 _What a very nice chapter!_

Chapter 7

 _Nice update!_

Thank you very much!


	9. III-The Clash

**An Education For Power**

* * *

The Rowdyruffs studied to gain smarts, and now, thanks to Ms Keane, they got the smarts and brains they craved for. Now it was time for Vengeance. Chapter 9. The pieces for their revenge begin to fall in place as they become smarter and they gain friends in high places. Blossom makes a shocking discovery, before the PPG were in a fight for their very lives against forgotten foes.

 **Book III**

 **Vengeance**

* * *

 **Chapter IX**

 **The Clash**

 _ **87**_. _**The Mayor of Townsville**_

 _The next Day, December 26, Sunday…_

"Where are we going again?" Boomer asked as the three boys, above Townsville, flew to a mansion located at the edge of the city.

"We're going to the house of the Mayor," said the leader.

"Tell me, brother, not that I'm doubting you, but _why are we doing this again_?" Butch asked.

"Look. We are going to get the Mayor's trust. Trust me on this one. This is the first step on the path to world conquest. As Ms Keane said, we need people to follow us. In order to do that, we need to be educated. But how can we be educated if the police are always after us?"

"Why? The police don't know that we're being tutored," Butch asked.

Boomer nodded.

"Because I realize that we can't be tutored forever. We need to go to school!"

The three of them stopped, two of them looking at _horror_ at their leader. Brick could read their minds. They were asking, how can he, their leader, do this to them? That would be the gravest betrayal! But a leader must make decisions. Decisions that sometimes, his brothers could not understand.

"Hold on! You promised us we will never go to school!" Butch argued.

"I know. And as long as you don't want to, we won't. But we _might_ in the future. _Look_. Ms Keane said that in order to be really educated, we need to go to college and high school. At least in this grade, if we choose to go to school, we can have Ms Keane as a teacher, since she's expected to follow the Powerpuff Girls as they get older," said Brick.

"But I don't want to go to school!" Boomer whined.

"I don't want to go too, and we won't in the near future. But someday, we will," said Brick. "And I promise you, by the time that we will, we will be prepared."

He looked at his two younger brothers. "Ms Keane knows a lot. She's very good. But she doesn't know everything. Eventually, she'll run out of things to teach us, and we would need other people to continue to teach us. We can't do that if we're still fugitives."

…

* * *

They arrived, and all three boys, even Brick, were impressed by the Mayor's home. It was big! Grand! For a dummy, he was filthy rich. Being Mayor for more than forty years would make you rich, he guessed. But it was snowed in. The entire yard was covered in snow, and the mayor's car cannot leave the driveway.

Brick was holding a gift, and so was Butch.

They landed on the ground just in front of the door, and Boomer rang the doorbell.

They waited, and the door opened. It was the Mayor himself.

"Yes?" the short white mustachioed man asked.

"Hello Mister Mayor. We want to be your friend! We have presents for you!"

"Who is it, honey?" a voice, that of an old woman, who Brick guessed was the Mayor's wife, answered.

"Friends. They said they have Christmas presents for me!" said the Mayor.

"Can we come in?" Brick asked.

"Sure, sure!" said the old man.

The three stepped in, and the boys were amazed. The house was a wealth of treasure. There were priceless paintings on the wall, and expensive vases. The carpet was very soft to the feet.

"Let us introduce ourselves," Brick said. He looked at Boomer.

Boomer smiled as he began. "Hello Mayor. I am not Dumber than the Dumbest, but the Duke of Destruction, I am Boomer David Jojo!"

"Hello sir! I am the Baron of Berserk! Butch Bryan Jojo!"

"And I am the Master Masher, the King of Crushing! I am Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, the Bludgeoner! And together, we three are the Rowdyruff Boys!"

"Excuse me, you're the what now?"

Doesn't the old man know who they were? Brick remembered when both Mojo and Him tried to do "evil" things to the Mayor to determine who among them would be the more fit parent. Guess he really was that dense.

"Perhaps this will jog your memory!" the leader said as he floated. Boomer and Butch followed.

"Red. Green. Blue. Oh I get it! You're the Powerpuff Girls! But why do you look like boys?"

"Because we are boys!" Boomer replied.

"Oh! The Powerpuff Girls became boys! You're now the Powerpuff Boys!"

Wait? How did he become Mayor again?

"No, Mayor. We are the Rowdyruff Boys? Remember, we are evil villains!"

"EVIL VILLAINS! OH NO! POWERPUFF GIRLS, HELP!"

"Shhh! We're not here to hurt you," Boomer said in a nice tone.

"Um, you aren't?"

"Yes. We're here to make friends with you," Brick said, trying to soothe the nerves of the head of state of the City of Townsville.

"Friends?" asked the bewildered old man.

"Yes. For doing such a great job as Mayor!" the leader said, and gave him his gift wrapped in green paper.

It was heavy, but the Mayor was able to easily handle it. He removed the wrapping paper. "Pickles!" he shouted in joy.

Yes, it was a jar of pickles. At first, Boomer and Butch could not believe that such an important man as the Mayor of Townsville would be taken in by such a stupid gift as a pickle, and that Brick would be wasting his Christmas allowance by buying such a silly thing, but looking at it now, Brick was right. As always.

Blossom's letters were a mine of information.

"Pickles!" he said, as he tried to open the jar.

"Let me help you, Mr Mayor," Brick said.

"Will you?"

The ruff smiled as he easily opened it. The Mayor took it, sunk his teeth on it, and was in ecstasy. "Mmm. Pickle. Won't you have some?"

"No thanks. It all yours. But we have another gift. Butch?"

"Here you are, Mister," said his middle brother, with a large box.

"Oh goody!" the old man happily said. He handed the jar back to Brick, and grabbed the box. He opened it, and inside was a covered tray. When he lifted the lid, he saw…

"Turkish Delights!" he said, his eyes widening. "Oh this is most wonderful! You really do know what this old man likes!"

"Who are these young men?" an old lady, looking just like the Mayor, said as she arrived.

* * *

 _ **88\. Making Friends in High Places**_

"Oh these young men? These fine boys are friends of mine! Look, they gave me presents. Boys, this is my wife. Honey, these are my friends… what are your names again? I forgot."

"Um, I'm Kenneth."

"I'm David."

"And I'm Bryan."

"Swell! And guess what? They can fly! Like the Powerpuff Girls! And look what they got me, Pickles and Turkish Delights!"

"Lovely. Thanks. And dear, don't forget to shovel the snow!"

"But Honey!"

"It's Sunday, and you have no work today," the tiny woman admonished. She looked at the boys. "Want some cookies and milk?"

"We'd love to!" Brick replied. "Oh and Mr Mayor? Could we keep this our little secret?"

"Secret? Sure!" he said. "I won't tell a soul."

"Please. If you don't tell anyone, we'll give you more pickles."

"Pickles? Oh my! I won't tell! I won't tell!" the Mayor said as the boys ate Mrs Mayor's cookies.

"And just for that, we're gonna take care of the snow outside. Now you won't have to do anything."

"That would be wonderful!" the Mayor said.

The three boys went outside, and they easily removed the snow blocking the driveway. They also removed all extra snow on the huge yard of the Mansion.

"Wow!" the Mayor's wife said as she stared at the now orderly yard. "Who are your parents, youngins? I want to thank them for having such wonderful children!"

"Well Ma'am, you know Sandra Keane?"

"Oh yes! The Powerpuff Girls' teacher!" she exclaimed.

"She's our teacher too. You can thank her," said the boys. "But please. Don't tell anyone!"

"I get it now! You'd get in trouble for sneaking out without permission?" the old woman said.

The boys just smiled and said nothing.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone except Sandy."

"So what do you want to do?" asked the Mayor.

"Anything you want to do. We're here to serve!" Brick declared.

"Aw, you three are just adorable little darlings," he said. "So helpful!"

Boomer smiled. Brick could tell that the youngest ruff liked both of them. But he was surprised that his wife was brighter than her husband. He thought that both would be dim, as they looked identical.

All in all, their plan went very well. Very well indeed.

He looked at his brothers. Boomer looked very pleased, while Butch had a huge grin on his face. Brick himself had a mask on, hiding any displeasure he might have had.

It was Butch's turn. "Why don't you allow me to roast you something? How about some wild boar? Or deer?"

"Deer! Oh I'd love that!" the Mayor clapped.

"Wait here!" he said as he flew away.

At least Butch was enjoying himself.

* * *

Later…

"That was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted! Even better than pickles," The Mayor said as they ate at the enormous dining area of the Mansion.

"Young man, your venison is a delight!" the Mayor's wife added.

"Wait till you taste his wild boar!" Boomer boasted.

"Or his giant fish! Butch can cook up any fresh animal or fish out there! I tell you, if you're out in the wilderness, having Butch is a treat! You will never go hungry with him around!" Brick added.

* * *

Later that afternoon…

"That was fun!" Boomer said as they flew home after spending most of the day with the Mayor of Townsville.

"Yes. I enjoyed myself more than I thought I would," said Brick. "Winning his trust won't be too difficult. Making him think we're his real friends would be more difficult, especially with his wife, but I think we could do it. I just hope they won't tell anyone. Especially the Powerpuff Girls."

"They love my venison too much for them to do that," Butch said proudly.

Boomer agreed. "And he won't get his pickles too if he did that!"

Brick smiled. "Won't the girls be surprised when it's time to get revenge? They'll be surrounded. All their friends are our friends too! They won't automatically be on their side when they're gonna fight us. Oh I can't wait to see the look on their faces!"

"So how are we gonna get our revenge?" asked the green ruff. "I'm itching to beat them up!"

"Patience. We'll keep working on the Mayor, and we'll make ourselves smarter day by day. When the time comes, I'll tell you, and when it does, the Powerpuff Girls would go down!"

"How about Ms Keane?" asked Butch. "You said you wouldn't want to hurt her."

"That is a problem, isn't it? Don't worry. By the time we're ready to strike, I'm going to have a plan to deal with it."

Brick was looking forward to that day. He's gonna get his revenge, and he's gonna pretend to be good and normal so they can prepare to conquer the world!

It's so awesome being a Rowdyruff Boy!

* * *

 _ **89\. A Cozy Home for Boys**_

 _It was a few months later, Saturday, April 16, 2005…_

Brick opened his eyes that Spring morning. It was six in the morning. He got up from bed, got out of his room, and went to Boomer's.

"Hey you, wake up!" said Brick to both his brothers.

"Aw! Do we have to?" Boomer whined.

"Yes, we have to. This is part of the plan, remember?" the leader replied. They had been doing this for the past five months. Did he really have to repeat all of that?

"But I'm still sleepy!" he whined.

"That's because you stayed up way past your bedtime watching TV," he scolded, sounding more like a parent than an older brother. That was what happens when they don't have real parents.

 _TV_.

It was something new. Something that Brick appreciated. Although with how his brother was acting, he sometimes wished that the idiot box did not get invented. And it wasn't just the TV that was new. Ever since the New Year, their home had undergone the most extensive changes.

Courtesy of Ms Keane.

And his diamond money.

First. Electricity.

How Ms Keane was able to connect their isolated home with the electric company without giving away their secret identity he did not know, but Ms Keane did it. So they no longer lighted their home with candles, fires, and lamps, but by electric lights. And they also had heaters, though that didn't stop them from using the fireplace. Something about the fireplace made the place so cozy, something that was lacking on a heater.

The house itself was bigger. A basement was added. The building was expanded. And a second floor was put in place. Their shack was no longer a shack, but a house. And their yard was surrounded by a white fence. Now they were living in a beautiful white A-style house with an attic. They now had a middle-class type home.

The interior of the home was much changed. In addition to the added rooms, it was filled with new gadgets and appliances. Like the aforementioned TV. Then, there was the refrigerator. That device was most revolutionary. That meant that they no longer had to hunt every day, and waste large amounts of meat that they could not eat. They simply could put the excess on the freezer. And by saving their allowance, they were able to buy groceries. Thus, their diet improved.

They supplemented their food with theft on occasion. They were still evil, after all. They decided it's best to keep their crimes a secret. They were careful not to be caught and identified.

It was more cozy place than before, not as cozy as Ms Keane's guest bedroom, but much more than the library itself.

Speaking of the city public library, there was a small room in their home which was a library. It housed the books that they received from Ms Keane as their Christmas presents, in addition to the books that they bought from their diamond allowance, as well as those that they stole. Though they never stole from the library itself. The library card that they had obtained, plus their new identities, meant that they could enter and read there at will. And borrow books.

In short, they were becoming more civilized.

* * *

Later…

They were flying towards a mansion at the edge of Townsville. Brick was carrying a jar of pickles. Boomer was carrying Turkish Delights. It was their daily present to the Mayor.

 _Ah the Mayor._

It was all part of Brick's plan. They would befriend the Mayor, so much so that even Ms Bellum could not sway his mind against them. He planned to use him to their advantage, so they can enter society without legal taint while having their revenge on the Powerpuff Girls. And it was all so easy! So easy. But he feared that if it was so easy to gain his trust, it would be too easy to lose it too. Easy come, easy go, as they say.

He had been visiting the Mayor in the morning nonstop every day except Sunday for the past five months. They always brought him some presents, mostly pickles and sweets. Sometimes fish or meat. And the Mayor himself was a delight! Even if not the brightest bulb in the room, he was such a friendly character. He remembered the time when Him and Mojo competed for their attention, and how they tormented the old man! It was fun!

He was having fun trying to please the old man. He did not understand it, but after five months, seeing him smile, seeing him happy, makes Brick smile and be happy as well. The same was true for Boomer, but more surprisingly, with Butch as well.

Yes, he was stupid. Dumb. An idiot. And they were evil. So why did they like him? He didn't know. They just do. But it doesn't matter. It would be easier for them to manipulate him if they liked him. And the Mayor, he was sure, liked them too!

He knocked on the door. It was the Mayor's wife. Though it doesn't mean much, she was much smarter than her husband.

"Hello Mrs Mayor," smiled Brick as politely as he could. "We're here to give our presents to the Mayor!"

"Hello Boys," she smiled warmly. "Come in!"

The three boys came in.

"Honey! It's them!"

"Really?" the old man, already dressed for work, as he went downstairs, replied. "Did you bring it?"

Brick merely smiled as he gave the jar.

"Pickles!" he shouted as he tried, and failed, to open the jar. It was too tight.

"Let me!" said the leader, and he easily opened it. He grinned as he witnessed the Mayor of Townsville gorge on his favorite.

"And Mr Mayor," the blond brother said, handing Turkish delights to the delighted old man.

"Oh goody! You sure know how to make an old man happy."

"Just remember," said Brick.

"Yeah. Keep this a secret!" said the Mayor.

"And just so, we will clean your yard," said Brick.

"That's so nice, boys," said the Mayor's wife. "It's too hard to get some reliable help round here. But you, you come here every day, just to make sure our yard looks nice."

"Think nothing of it, Mrs Mayor," the redhead said. "It's our civic duty!"

The three boys went outside, and cleaned the yard and the roof. It was a daily chore, one that Butch and Boomer complained about, but it was part of his plan. He needed to have the genuine friendship of the Mayor if he's going to succeed.

Luckily, doing it five times a week meant that the daily chore was very minimal. So it took them less than a minute to finish the work.

"Finished!" Butch shouted.

The Mayor's wife was impressed as she looked at their work. "Why, you outdid yourself once more!" she said, handing each of them some cookies. "I don't know what I'll do if you fine young gentleman aren't here to help us."

"Think nothing of it, Ma'am," Brick said. "See ya tomorrow!"

…

* * *

 _ **90\. A Trip to New York City**_

 _The next Monday, April 18, 2005…_

"The Statue of Liberty was a gift of France to the United States," Ms Keane said, "and was dedicated in 1886."

They were amazed, but not at the lecture. They were actually looking at the statue! And they were not looking at a mere picture or a replica.

They were looking at the real thing. They were in New York City.

It was part of their lessons in history and civics. They had been learning at Ms Keane's home about things that they could only see in books or in the internet. Then it occurred to him that they could fly to those places she was teaching about. It took them about five minutes to reach New York City while carrying Ms Keane's car with them as they flew—any faster and they may have damaged the vehicle.

Brick first suggested it a month ago. Ms Keane was reluctant, and there were concerns that they would get lost since the United States was a very big place. So she first taught them how to use a map. Using the diamond money, she bought them an atlas and a road map.

It was something that the boys were very fond of. Using the map, they were able to explore the entire state of Maine. They looked at the towns—Citiesville, Augusta, Portland. Before, they were just places that they've heard. Yet, thanks to the map, they were able to navigate as they flew, and so they were able to go to places on the map with little trouble.

Ms Keane had insisted that she test their navigation skills before she consented to the arrangement.

So now, she had gone inside her car, and had given instructions on where she had wanted to go. And the boys, flying the car round the state, were able to go wherever she wanted. There were occasional hiccups—one time, they went to a ghost town instead of a another town nearby—but by and large, they were able to successfully pass another of Ms Keane's tests.

The boys had passed her test with flying colors.

The next step was to explore the other states. And this time, Ms Keane decided to combine their civics lessons with their explorations.

So Brick, Butch and Boomer held notebooks and pencils as they entered the Statue and began exploring the structure.

"It was, for many, the first glimpse of the country. Airplane travel was unknown before, so they came here by ship. And they all went to New York City because this was, and still is, the greatest harbor in the country. So for them, the Statue became a symbol of this nation."

Brick looked out the window in the torch. The harbor was beautiful. Even more spectacular was New York City itself. It was so big, and busy, that Townsville and even Citiesville was nothing to it. He wondered why the monster never attacked "the Big Apple". After all, they can pass through the sea, and there were no Powerpuff Girls to mess things up for them. There were far more things to destroy in New York City than in Townsville, for example.

* * *

Later…

They were flying towards Townsville. The sun was setting, so it was time to go back to Ms Keane's basement. Boomer and Butch were outside, under the car, carrying the vehicle as they flew home. Brick was riding shotgun, while Ms Keane was in the driver's seat, looking out the window.

"So where do we go next week?" Brick asked.

"I'm not sure. There were so many places to visit."

"Let's see. We've been to Boston, to Niagara Falls, to Philadelphia, and now, to New York City," Brick said, trying to remember the places that they had visited during the past month.

"We could either go to Mount Rushmore, or to Washington, D.C."

Brick nodded. He already knew of those places based on his lessons and from reading. It would be a treat to actually see those places—being a superpowered being was an advantage in that regard.

"You know boys, a lot of places that we've been to during the past month," said Ms Keane, "I haven't been to before. Thanks boys. I would never have the time or the money to go to all those places."

"Think nothing of it, Teacher. It's part of our education," said Brick.

* * *

Later…

It was about eight in the evening, in the basement turned classroom of Ms Keane, and they had just finished eating dinner.

"Okay boys. Question and answer time," Ms Keane said, smiling

There were groans all around, especially from Boomer. Brick, on the other hand, wasn't too concerned. He was sure he could answer whatever question that their tutor would throw at them, as long as that question was fair.

"Okay Class. Brick. Tell me about the Statue of Liberty."

"Other than it's awesome to look at?" asked the leader.

"Yes Brick."

"Well, it's a statue of a female. It's made of copper, colored green. It was 151 feet but if we include the base, it's about 305 feet. She is wearing a crown, and carrying a torch and a tablet."

"Very good Brick. Boomer. Where is the statue located?"

"Um, New York City?"

"Correct. What do we know about New York City?"

"Ah, it's the biggest apple in the country, I mean biggest city, way bigger than Townsville, located in New York?"

"Yes. Butch, tell us about the history of the Statue."

"Well, it was made in another country, was that France? It was given to us in 1886," the green ruff said, a bit uncertain.

"Correct!" said Ms Keane. "You three clearly did your homework. Next week, we'll go to South Dakota, and we'll see Mount Rushmore! Same thing, you must do some research on that place."

"What's so special about some mountain?" asked the blond brother.

"You'll see," said the teacher, smiling. "It isn't just any mountain. But something else. You'll know the reason why it's so famous in this country."

"Um, okay. But that would involve a longer trip," said Brick. "Probably an hour of flying, considering that it's located far to the west."

"I know. That's why next week would be special," said the teacher. "And Brick, before I forget, here's the letter from Blossom."

"Ooh! Glorious leader's girlfriend is writing him!" Butch snickered.

"Oh shut up. Pinkie ain't my girlfriend," he said as he took the envelope from his teacher.

* * *

 _ **91\. Reds Letters**_

 _Later…_

It was about ten in the evening. Brick's brothers were asleep, since they needed to get up early in the morning to be able to go the Mayor's. The leader too needed to go to sleep.

But not yet.

He looked at the envelope. He was curious as to what his counterpart was going to say.

He reflected.

He nearly did not reply to Pinkie when Ms Keane gave him her first letter. After all, why should he communicate with the enemy? What good would that do? He had better things to do, like plotting her demise.

But Blossom might get suspicious if he did not reply. Perhaps he should, if only to allay whatever suspicions she might have for his seeming coyness.

He didn't regret it.

It was a treat writing letters to her, and even more of a pleasure reading her pretty handwriting, especially as the Pink Puff had no idea who she was communicating with. In addition, it was a goldmine of information about the Powerpuff Girls, and it supplemented the information that Mitch was giving him.

It was enjoyable. He found himself looking forward to reading her letters.

He almost regretted that he would have to beat her up soon.

Almost.

He tore open the envelop.

* * *

 _April 11, 2005_

 _Kenneth Charles,_

 _You can't believe what the Professor was up to! Can you believe he's actually considering moving back to Citiesville? Someone called him up, and offered him a "higher salary" than what he's receiving. Well, we weren't having any of it, so me and my sisters went back to that awful city to investigate._

 _Turns out that it was all a scheme of Mojo Jojo in order to draw us out and keep us from saving the city. And the job wasn't even of decent salary. I'm so glad that the Professor did not go through with it._

 _Bubbles is really impressed with your brother David's drawings. Although to be honest, she kept ragging on about how he only drew buildings and houses. He would make an excellent architect. The designs of his buildings were really nice. Bubbles kept trying to draw buildings as good as your brother, but that's not Bubbles' expertise. She really shines drawing animals and nature. While your brother's strength is doing buildings._

 _So when would we meet? It would be nice if we could finally see each other. Don't tell the others this, but I'm so glad that I'm finally meeting someone my age whom I can have an intelligent and intellectual conversation with._

 _Later…_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium._

 _..._

* * *

 _April 19, 2005_

 _Ms Blossom Utonium,_

 _Never knew that Citiesville was so terrible. And that was surprisingly smart of Mojo Jojo. Usually, his plans were dumb, but if you were in Citiesville, he can wreak havoc here in Townsville. I'm glad that you found the truth about it._

 _I'm sorry if I can't say more about us. You've been very kind in saying all those things about you, even if you don't have too. My parents are pretty secretive, so I really can't tell you much without making them angry. And before you say that they won't find out, they will. Trust me, they will._

 _Ms Keane really is a wonderful tutor. Even if I am not going to school like you, I feel that I am really knowing all that I needed to know, and even more. This month, we've been talking about famous sites throughout the country. We've discussed Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, especially the Statue of Liberty, and next week, she'll talk about Mount Rushmore in South Dakota._

 _You are really impressive. Four monsters this week alone, and four robbers! And I watched the news, and you came off really well! I like how you led your sisters and crafted them into one efficient team._

 _My hats off to you!_

 _As for meeting you, rest assured that it will be soon. I can't wait too, but we can't rush these things._

 _Later too…_

 _Kenneth Charles_

 _..._

* * *

 _April 25, 2005_

 _K.C._

 _You have no idea about Citiesville! You can never know how terrible that city is, even it's people, until you've lived there like we did. That is a place we hope we will never have the displeasure to set foot on again!_

 _Thank God that the truth was revealed. That was smart, I would admit, of Mojo, but once again, truth and justice prevailed over evil._

 _Thank you. I do my best to make sure we do our job well. We are role models, and we must act in a way that will do little boys and girls proud and say that they want to be like us. That's the burden of being a superhero. People want to be like you. Therefore, we must act all proper and upright, because how can parents tell their children to be behaved and do good if the biggest superheroes do not do so?_

 _And sometimes, people would not even be reasonable with regards to kids imitating us! You remember when I mentioned, in a letter I wrote last January I think, that Stan Practice was a lawyer, and a very good one at that but also a jerk? Well, he got many parents mad at us because their children were imitating us because they like to be like us because we're superheroes. He got the parents' signatures, and got us to sign a legal contract that forbade our use of powers. Could you imagine how frustrating it is to force us to call the police when we see crimes happening instead of stopping it ourselves? It didn't last and they tore up the contract when a group of villains attacked their home and we had to save them, but it was annoying to say the least._

 _Sometimes, I wish I was not a superhero. It could be very burdensome. Being a hero, as I've always said, intrudes upon our private lives. And it could even extend to school. We are expected to maintain the peace of the playground, something that would be even more maddening than crooks and villains. At least with those, you just punch them really hard, and they are brought to heel. But in school? You can't just do that. You must do something else. You might bluff them. But what if they call your bluff and they know you won't punch them hard if they don't do what they say?_

 _Case in point. Mitch Mitchelson. That boy! He's our friend. Yet also a bully that needed to be taught a lesson. Problem is, he does not learn! He kept repeating the same thing over and over! It's even gotten worse lately. He kept yapping out about his new "friends" who will teach us, the Powerpuff Girls, a lesson, for always admonishing him and thwarting his plans! Yet he keeps mum on who his "friends" are. Which tells me that he's bluffing and either is deluded and has an imaginary friend like Mike Believe, or he was doing it get under our skin. If that is his plan, then it's working in part. That spiel of him having friends who will avenge him is getting on my nerves, and Buttercup nearly beat him up really good several times. We had to restrain her._

 _If only Mitch would keep his mouth shut! He could be a very good friend if he's not bullying others!_

 _Sorry for taking up too much space on him. It was just a stressful week dealing with him once more! Buttercup even hit him in the eye! He got a big black eye! I wasn't able to prevent it, since me and Bubbles were talking to Ms Keane when it happened._

 _I look forward to our eventual meeting._

 _Blossom._

 _..._

* * *

Brick reflected as soon as he read the latest letter from Blossom.

So that's how Mitch got his black eye. At least Blossom's letters kept tabs on Mitch. Based on Blossom's accounts, Mitch was not lying to him and was doing a good job. All his information checked out regarding the girls' habits, weaknesses, and strengths. And thus, some information that Mitch told him that wasn't mentioned by Pinkie probably was true.

Still, he got a problem. The Powerpuff Girls hit Mitch. Which meant that the Rowdyruffs incurred an obligation to avenge him. Otherwise, their part of the bargain, to protect Mitch from harm, would mean nothing. Brick needed to strike fast, or else Mitch might not believe them. Sure, Mitch now was subservient, but only because he thinks that the Rowdyruffs could be his guardian angel. If the boys failed, Mitch could turn on them, and Brick wanted to avoid that. All their plans would come to naught if Mitch told everyone what's really happening.

If he only knew that he would get more information from Blossom's letters, he would never have made Mitch their "friend" in the first place. But now, they're stuck with him.

And the boys were not smart enough to directly confront the Powerpuff Girls. If they strike now, the girls would outsmart them once more and hand them another humiliating defeat. He needed to think of a plan.

* * *

 _ **92\. A Suspicious Similarity**_

 _The next Friday, April 22, 2005…_

Blossom smiled as she looked at the envelop. It was another letter from Kenneth Charles…

 _April 18, 2005_

 _Ms Utonium,_

 _Thanks for the letter. It must be tough being a superhero. I can't imagine being one, since I don't want to be controlled by what people ought to think we should do. I mean, you should do what you want. You deserve it. I wouldn't do what the others think you ought to do if I also didn't think I should do it. Do what you want to do, and let them follow you._

 _Dealing with bullies in school is easy. Just beat them up. That's the only language they understand. As for Mitch Mitchelson, I'd offer the same advice, except that you said that he's your friend too, so you shouldn't beat him up if you want him to remain your friend. Perhaps, now that he was actually hurt by your sister, he will learn his lesson. He will probably take the hint._

 _As for whether he is bluffing or not, ask yourself this. Who would actually be friends with him that's strong enough to punish the Powerpuff Girls?_

 _As for the others? Just beat them up the first time, and they will know that you mean business. Being harsh and cruel at the very outset means that they won't repeat what you clearly don't want them to do. They won't do it next time for fear of being punished. Sounds harsh and ruthless, but that's how people operate. Demonstrate it just once, and then they will fear you. Fear is something that you should try to cultivate among your friends as well as your enemies. Because if they fear you, they will do what they say, even more so if they love you too. As Machiavelli said, it's best if you can be both feared and loved, but if you can only be one, better to be feared, since you can control how much you are feared, while you really cannot control how others would love you. But do not be hated!_

 _FEAR WORKS WONDERS! TRY IT!_

 _Of course, reward them from time to time. Then they will be your perfect instruments._

 _Just be patient. We will meet soon, I promise you that._

 _Kenneth Charles Jojo_

* * *

Blossom felt that her pen friend was not a six year old by the way he wrote. He was way too mature and intelligent for such a young age. Yet, she too wrote the same way, and she was six too! She was very smart, and now, it seemed, she found a kindred spirit, someone who can talk to her like she wanted to be talked to. She was way too smart for Bubbles, Buttercup, and all her classmates. Sure, she could talk like a child when she needed to, but her brilliance needed someone her age to communicate to. That's why talking to Kenneth, even if only by letter, was such a joy. She doesn't need to dumb down her words when she was writing to him.

The only thing about him that she found odd was that his actual ideas were somewhat cold and unfeeling. As she reread his letter and advice, she kept shaking her head. She cannot follow his advice, as it wasn't her nature just to show off her power to keep her classmates in line. Perhaps he was too sheltered by his parents to know any better. Still, she was sure that once he goes to school, he will find out how impractical his suggestions were, even if intellectually, they were very interesting ideas.

* * *

 _Dearest Kenneth,_

 _Once again, I read your letter, and let me tell you, I really enjoyed it. The conversations we had were very intellectually stimulating._

 _With that, I must apologize in advance for what I am about to say._

 _You are wrong. Dead wrong. Beating them up and instilling fear is not the right way to deal with bullies. They don't know better—that's the reason for their attitude. And sometimes, I wonder if their head is too thick to know better. Still, it's our job as superheroes to tell them what's right and what's wrong and to guide them to the path of righteousness. Fear will only bring you so far. Once it is gone, they will revert to form, while if they truly change, then they would do good even if no one is looking at them, and do it because they like doing good._

 _That is what we are, the Powerpuff Girls, and that is what we hoped our friends and classmates would be._

 _I hope I don't offend you too much. It is true that fear has its place. Ms Keane, for example, would not be as effective a teacher if her students don't fear punishment if they misbehave. Sometimes children need fear of punishment so that they won't do bad. Princess Morebucks, for example, don't do bad things because she fears what will happen if she does, and through my experience, there is no hope of ever changing that spoiled brat's attitude._

 _Still, you made a lot of valid points, though I may say, it pointed to the wrong conclusion. Fear has its place, especially if it deals with villains and criminals, as my experiences has told me that that is the only thing that they understand. And money. But it should not rule us, and rule our relations._

 _Anyway, I hope I don't offend you too much._

 _Still looking forward to meeting you soon!_

 _Blossom C.L. Utonium_

* * *

She read and reread the letter she wrote and wondered if she should send it. It might offend him and end their correspondence, but that had to be said. She really disagreed with him, yet she could not but admire him—at his age, that she could even have that exchange of ideas! Oh it would ideal if he could be her classmate. She would have a worthy competitor and give her the push to do her best.

She looked back at Kenneth's letter, and her mind drifted. Maybe she was wrong about how to deal with bullies? After all, she had been wrong before. Like the business of the Ghosts of Townsville Library! She had thought that they were just ordinary crooks. That had been a big egg on her face, especially as Bubbles demonstrated that the most logical answer to the mystery could be wrong.

She recalled the events of that long and embarrassing saga, from the reports from witnesses, to the first meeting at the Library, and the subsequent fact that they haven't actually seen them since that first meeting. The only evidence to mark the ghosts was the fact that they were spotted afterwards, though they seemed to have disappeared. And of course, there was that torn notebook…

 _ **Torn notebook.**_

Blossom went to her drawer, and got the notebook. She hadn't seen it ever since the day the ghosts left their mark in school. She again looked at it. Turned the page to where the ghosts wrote that chilling message:

 _I AM THE GHOST OF TOWNSVILLE LIBRARY. FEAR ME. DO NOT COME BACK! BIG BAD WOLF, DO NOT RETURN! TELL THE OGRE AND PRINCESS TOO THAT THEY SHOULD NOT COME BACK!_

She stared at the letters. They were very familiar.

Suddenly she looked at Kenneth Charles' letters.

She gasped. She opened her eyes further and stared at the notebook and the letters.

 _The handwriting is identical._

What? Ms Keane's students were the ghosts?

That doesn't make any sense. But the handwriting…

 _No. It couldn't be._

It had to be a coincidence. Besides, she was not a handwriting expert. An expert would surely conclude that they were not the same.

An expert…

She grabbed the latest letter from Kenneth and the torn notebook, and went to the police station…

* * *

 _ **93\. Attack of the Monster**_

 _The next Monday, April 25, 2005…_

It was five in the afternoon.

She looked at the envelop.

 _To Blossom Utonium._

 _From:_

 _The Townsville Police Department._

She opened it, and read the letter.

 _Dear Ms Blossom C. L. Utonium,_

 _Greetings._

 _Based on our analysis, we are 99.99% sure that the message on the letter and on the notebook was written by the same person._

She was devastated.

Kenneth Charles Jojo was the ghost!

But it was impossible!

The ghosts floated! The ghosts were powerful! Strong enough to knock her out. Unless Ms Keane was lying, Kenneth Charles was a little boy her age.

Ms Keane does not lie. Ms Keane could not lie.

Could the "experts" at the police station be mistaken? She looked at the odds. 99.99% sure. Not 100% sure. That meant that there was a 0.01% chance that they were wrong. Surely, this fell under that minuscule chance? Because a little boy could not have done those things to them!

But if Kenneth was one of the ghosts, then they must be very powerful. Which was impossible, as the only boys powerful enough to knock them out at their age, were the Rowdyruff Boys.

The ROWDYRUFFS!

She began to think. Can it be them? Could the Ghosts of Townsville Library, and by extension, Ms Keane's three students, be the Rowdyruff Boys?

Could they be the same?

Powerful enough to knock them out.

 _Check_.

Can float.

 _Check_.

Are three in number.

 _Check_.

And then they were sneaking round Pokey Oakes elementary a few days after the ghosts suddenly wrote that message.

It all made sense!

But they were dumb. Kenneth, Bryan, and David were smart! Maybe they were getting smarter? That's it! She got it!

* * *

Suddenly, her musings were interrupted by the hotline ringing.

"Hello Mayor?"

"Hello Blossom. There's a monster attacking the city! Hurry!"

"We're on it!" she said, setting aside all thoughts of the ghost and Kenneth Charles and his brothers.

"Blossom, what's up?" asked Buttercup as she and Bubbles flew to their room from downstairs.

"There's a monster attacking the city!" she said.

"Alright! Beating up those weak criminals is boring," she said with excitement.

"Okay girls, you know what to do!" she said before the Powerpuff Girls flew out the window.

…

* * *

It was a giant bug, about fifty feet high, with giant wings. It was buzzing above the city. Normally, the monsters would be on the ground, trudging around ponderously, destroying things.

Still, it was no biggie. It does not look like it would be tough or anything.

"Alright! I'm gonna smash some bugs!" Buttercup proclaimed as she surged forward.

"Buttercup! Wait!" Blossom said.

Not that she was worried, but her natural cautiousness and her instinct to plan before making a move would make any sudden move uncomfortable. Still, Buttercup was probably right. No need for any fancy plans!

The flying bug looked at her, and hit the approaching Buttercup with one of its legs, and to their surprise, she was thrown away.

So the fly was stronger than expected!

"That's tough!" the green puff exclaimed as she rose from the rubble. The monster went to the ground and folded its wings as it prepared to fight.

Blossom frowned. She was hoping to target its wings, and presumably, render it helpless on the ground. But that monster could walk!

"Okay. Buttercup, attack it head on. But don't let it hit you. Bubbles and I will sneak around and we can surprise it."

"Got you, Red," said the toughest puff, obviously relishing the prospect of fighting it head on. "OKAY YOU GIANT BUG, YOU WANT A FIGHT?"

Blossom nodded at Bubbles, but before they could do anything, the bugs eyes glowed, and hit Buttercup.

Since when did giant monsters have laser eyes?

"BUTTERCUP!" Bubbles loudly gasped. She caught the attention of the bug. It swung its arms and swatted the blonde hero, causing the blue-eyed heroine to crash into Blossom. Both girls tumbled and crashed into another building.

That hurt! The collision with Bubbles left the leader winded.

"That monster is strong," Bubbles remarked as she extricated herself from her sister and from the rubble.

She looked at her middle sister, who was covered in soot.

"Now I'm mad!" Buttercup said in a low voice, and attacked the monster head on. She stopped about a few feet away as she avoided it's arm as it again swung against her. Her own eyes glowed and she hit the monster with laser.

It had no effect.

This one was tough. Remembering a similar situation in the past, she looked at Bubbles. "Could you ask nicely? Like you did before? Maybe it will leave?"

"Oh, okay!" said the blonde cheerily. She flew up towards the head of the monster.

"I hope this works," said Blossom as she flew besides Buttercup.

"What is she doing?" asked the toughest fighter.

"Pleading. Maybe it will work a second time," said Blossom.

"Um, hello Mr Monster," Bubbles began. "Could we please, stop fighting, and could you please go home? _We love this town_ , and you are destroying it. Please? Pretty please with sugar lumps on top?"

The monster turned, and spread its wings as if it would leave.

"It worked!" Blossom shouted. "Go Bubbles."

"If only that would work with crooks," Buttercup commented.

* * *

 _ **94\. Desperate Struggle**_

The monster turned to the sea, and moved as if it was retreating, but flew back. Its eyes glowed, and shot Bubbles.

"BUBBLES!" Buttercup shouted.

"Asking nicely doesn't work," said Blossom, thinking. She looked at the panicking people all over town. "Let's take this fight off the city. It will take time to beat this one up."

"I agree. I'll get his attention, and we can lure him out into the woods," Buttercup suggested.

Bubbles flew up beside her sisters. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be so… two faced."

"We're gonna lure it out to the woods before anyone gets hurt," Blossom decided.

Bubbles just nodded as Buttercup went besides the monster.

"HEY, BUG BREATHE! YES, YOU! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO US! YOU SUCK! YOU'RE NOTHING A LITTLE FLY SWATTER CAN'T TAKE CARE OF!" the green puff shouted.

Bubbles went besides her sister, and unleashed her sonic scream upon the oversized bug. It pushed it only a little bit, but irritated it. It was now enraged.

"Good. Let's go, girls!"

The three girls flew as fast as possible from the city. The bug, as expected, followed. Blossom looked for an isolated place to make sure that no one would be hurt.

They went to an isolated part of the woods. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls satisfied herself that there were no innocents before deciding that that place would be their battlefield. The giant bug would be stopped there, or not at all.

The monster went to the ground and once again retracted its wings.

"Buttercup! Now!"

The green puff went in front of the monster. "Hey ugly, see if you can take this!" She went up in the sky. The monster prepared to follow. Just as the wings were beginning to show, she dived towards the creature. The monsters attention was fixated on the incoming Buttercup.

"Bubbles," Blossom whispered, as she and Bubbles went behind the monster. The two suddenly hit the giant bug from behind. They heard a _crack_ , and the monster's attention was on them. It turned its head, and just as it did so, Buttercup crashed on to its neck.

"That ought to do it," Blossom said nervously, as the monster stood up, hurt, but not yet down.

It swung its' arm, and caught Buttercup. It threw her towards her sister. Bubbles was hit hard, and they both went down.

Blossom knew that her sisters were alright, but she still had not figured out the best way to destroy the monster.

The monster smirked, as once again, it raised its' arm and swung it towards the leader. It was too fast to dodge, and she raised her hand to catch it. She caught it, but she was being pushed, as the monster was too strong.

Fortunately, Bubbles and Buttercup had recovered. They went beside her and pushed the arm too.

It developed into a standstill as the Powerpuffs and the creature pushed against each other.

"This is not working!" Buttercup said as sweat flowed from her.

"I know, but we have to try," Blossom agreed. "For Townsville."

"For the people of Townsville," Bubbles agreed as she screamed.

Buttercup and Blossom screamed too as adrenaline pumped through them. They started to push back. Slowly, inch by inch, they pushed back the giant claw.

"It's working!" Blossom said. "A little more, girls!" She smiled. Her whole body was aching. It was in agony. But it was going to be worth it.

Suddenly, they screamed as searing pain engulfed their body. Blossom immediately recognized it even as the agony became unbearable _._ _ **It was laser**_. But how? The monster was in front of them, and the claw blocked it's eyes so it can't hit them. But apparently, it was able to.

But she had no time for contemplation, as the laser weakened them, and the claw finally pushed them—towards it's other claw.

 _ **SNAP!**_

She swore she heard bones crack as they were smashed between the two claws of the monster. She screamed even more as they fell to the grassy ground below.

The three girls stood up, bloody, hurt, weak and nearly powerless. Still, they had to do something.

Then she saw it. "Look at that crack," she pointed out. It was the small crack that formed when she and Bubbles attacked it from behind. "We can hit it and maybe it's the weak point."

"But how? We're too weak," said Bubbles.

"We attack!" said Buttercup even as she wiped the blood pouring from her forehead.

"We'll use the Furious Fiery Feline," Blossom started as she began to fly upward. "Powerpuff Girls form—"

"Furious!" Buttercup shouted as she flew around Blossom.

"Fiery!" Bubbles declared as she flew Blossom too.

"FELINE!" the leader shouted at the top of her lungs as they flew towards outer space, made a U-turn, and charged back to the planet in close formation, their blue, green and pink streaks visible. Their bodies burst into flame and merged into one, in a shape of a cat. The comet seemed to head straight for the bug, and the bug readied itself for the impact. At the last moment, however, it swerved, and instead, hit the place where they earlier made a crack.

It worked! They went through the thick exoskeleton, breaking it, and into the insides of the monster. It burst into the many pieces as the cat exploded.

But it took a heavy toll on the girls. The act of breaking the exoskeleton almost took all their remaining energy, and destroying the monster from within took the rest.

Still, they were alive, awake, and victorious. The monster was dead. Nobody died. Even if they were extremely tired and weak.

Long live Townsville.

* * *

 _ **95\. Old Enemies**_

"YOU CALL THAT A FIGHT, PINKY?"

That voice. That can only be!

She looked up to the source, and yes, it was Brick and his brothers.

 _The Rowdyruff Boys._

 _Not now!_

Not when she could barely fly and her body ached and she had barely any power.

They would be slaughtered!

She looked at them. They looked… different. Their clothes were deeper in color, as if they had changed into new clothes, even if the style was identical. The last time they saw them, they were wearing faded and torn clothes. They probably stole those new clothes. Their hair was neater too. Brick's long red hair was carefully combed, and Boomer and Butch had the same haircut that they had when they first appeared a long time ago. Butch was twitching, Boomer had a hateful look as they stared at the girls, and Brick had a twisted smirk as he stood there, floating majestically, his red eyes boring down on her, regarding her as if she's some inferior being.

Could they be Ms Keane's students? And by extension, the ghosts? That's the only rational explanation. But could they really have become that smart? Smart enough to write like Kenneth? Hopefully, they're not. She would be devastated if her penpal was her worst enemy.

"Well, you see what we did to the giant bug? We smashed and easily destroyed that monster! That's you unless you run!" Blossom, pointing at the remains of the monster, replied. _If you can't beat them, bluff them._ "We're not even fighting seriously."

"Liar," the leader of the Rowdyruffs said. "It kicked your ass."

"We were just playing! We were just giving it a good fight," said Buttercup. Good, she knew too that the best way to get out of this was to scare them. "We haven't even begun using a fraction of our total power. So run along. You'd be too weak to give us a good fight."

"Ain't it so?" said Brick. "I'm gonna 'mash you, and bweak ya, and me and my bros are gonna total ya!"

Had he become even more stupid?

"Ya gals think y'all so great, well, yer not. Us bros will eat you like an onion, yeah!" Boomer boasted.

"You're even dumber than you were before!" Blossom answered back in contempt.

"You dumb!" Boomer replied. "Me not dumb!"

"Yeah. We're not D-U-M dumb!" Brick shouted. "You stupid! S-T-O-O-P-E-E-D! Heard that boys? They be dumb and stupid!"

"Oh stop it, you can't even spell right!" Blossom shouted, irritated and horrified at their terrible grammar and spelling.

"Ain't that so," said Brick. "Y'all gonna get it! Hear me? Ya gonna go to Hell, H-E-E-L! Hell! You be sowwy!"

They can't help it anymore. They suddenly burst in laughter.

"What ya laughin' at?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah. Ain't nuttin' funny round 'ere," Butch said, glaring at the girls.

"Ha, you are, you idiots!" Buttercup said as she laughed. "You became even dumber, if that is possible!"

"We'll beat you," Boomer growled. "We're gonna chew ya up, and spit you out, and chew you again, and spit you out, and chew ya!"

"As sure as the sun and the stars goes round the world, we're gonna make ya sowwy!" Brick declared.

"Wait, are you telling me that the sun goes round the earth?"

"Well duh! With your big eyes, can't you see the obvious? The sun's going round, and so are the stars!" the Rowdyruff leader answered, "round this place that ain't moving!"

The girls laughed even harder.

Blossom _had made a mistake._ The Rowdyruffs _cannot_ be the students of Ms Keane and by extension, the ghosts of Townsville Library. Kenneth Charles was smart! Frighteningly smart! And his brothers were too, and were improving, based on the scores of their examinations.

The Rowdyruff Boys were dumb, and stupid. They became even dumber than before! How could they think that the sun revolves around the earth, and that the earth does not move? Only someone who could not spell, that's who.

She was stupid for thinking that the Rowdyruffs could be the students of Ms Keane. She was foolish for not dismissing it. The Rowdys were so stupid and so dense, they were obviously not the ghosts, who read books, let alone the three very smart students of her teacher.

And her teacher would not have taught evil boys in the first place.

"Yeah, go away, you babies!" Bubbles shouted.

"Why are we goin'?" Butch asked.

"Yeah. We've got something to tell ya," Brick said. "The Mare of this stupid town, the one with a purple suit," he began.

"That's Mayor," Blossom corrected.

"Gave us a Parbon," Brick finished. "We said we're sorry."

"That's pardon!" said Blossom. "And are you serious?"

"Yeah. We here to tell 'ya, sure as the sun goes round the earth, that we're clean, and we're gonna go clean, and we ain't gonna be bad no more," said the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

What, were they serious? This had to be a trick. But in their weakened condition, they had to pretend to believe them.

"Well, since you're pardoned, that erases your previous crimes, and you've got a blank new slate. Use your second chance well, and use your powers for good," she begun, hoping that they would just go away.

"You might even become less than dumb now that you're good. I would say you'll become smart, but you're obviously incapable of becoming intelligent," Buttercup snickered.

"Buttercup, that's not nice. They might take offense," Blossom said. "Sorry for my sister's mouth."

"Well, let's shake," said the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, extending his hand.

"Yeah, shake," said Butch.

Boomer just grinned stupidly and extended his hand too.

Blossom was relieved. They were going to be spared a beating. Brick may or may not be lying, but right now, they had no choice but to accept their explanation. They can think about whether or not they were lying when they're far away from those stupid boys.

The three girls, weakened, and nearly powerless, floated to their counterparts. And shook hands.

Without warning, both Boomer and Butch attacked their counterparts. Blossom was horrified, but Brick refused to let go of her hand. Their bluff had not worked. Dumb or not, strength-wise, they were no match at the moment.

Boomer spun Bubbles as soon as he shook her hand and threw her to the ground. He then dove at Bubbles. The blonde girl tried to avoid him, but she was too weak and too slow, and his fist hit her jaw. There was a sickening crunch, as she fell to the ground, spat blood, but still awake. But her jaw swelled, rendering her unable to say anything. Bubbles tried to punch Boomer, but she was so slow that he easily avoided it. She tried her sonic scream, but her swollen jaw prevented it.

So she gave Boomer a punch to the face.

But she was so weak that it had no effect.

She spat blood on the ground before he buried his fist on her stomach. Bubbles doubled up in pain.

A kick on her temple brought her into sweet unconsciousness.

* * *

Buttercup actually attacked Butch. She gave a big roundhouse kick, aiming at her counterpart's temple, but the green ruff easily blocked it with his hands. He caught her leg, and spun her around before planting a sick punch to her stomach.

She coughed up blood, and she fell, weak, her arms clutching her tummy. She stood up, and looked up. And saw Butch diving towards her. Her eyes glowed, and she shot a weak laser. Butch easily dodged it, and he appeared besides her. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and gave her a powerful headbutt. It was lights out for Buttercup as she crumpled on the dirt in an unconscious heap.

…

* * *

Blossom gritted her teeth, feeling helpless. She was trying to come up with a trick to get out of her predicament alive. As it was, she was running out of ideas. The boys may be dumb, but they had good battle sense.

But Brick wasn't going to give her a chance. Her counterpart closed the distance between her, and she felt his fist deep into her stomach. She coughed blood as she doubled over in pain, before Brick kicked her on the jaw, sending her high into the air. Brick was on her as he shot her with a laser ball, and she screamed as pain enveloped her body.

She fell on the ground, very very weak, as the three boys floated besides each other. Blossom looked at Bubbles and Buttercup, both asleep and battered. She braced herself. She could die any moment now.

 _I am sorry, Townsville,_ she thought as tears fell from her eyes.

They suddenly flew away.

Was this happening? Why did they not kill them? Why let them live? Still, she will not look a gift-horse in the mouth. She picked up both her sisters, and flew home. She was extremely weak, yet she was not as beaten up as her sisters were. She had just enough power to fly them home.

…

* * *

 _ **96\. Sweet Revenge**_

 _Later_ …

"Did you see it" Brick asked at their shack.

"Yeah, and it was awesome!" Mitch Mitchelson exclaimed. He had been hiding behind some trees at the battlefield. "You really kicked their ass! And thanks for not killing them! I want them alive! I mean I can't gloat and lord it over them if they are dead."

"Nah. It's not yet time," said Brick.

"Still, why did you sound like idiots?" asked Mitch. "You're not dumb, yet you talked as if you were retards!"

"Yeah, that was very easy and very hard," said Butch.

"What?"

"Well, it's easy because we spoke that way before, and it's very easy to revert to how we spoke before," Boomer explained.

"Yes. It wasn't much trouble dumbing it down," Brick agreed. "But it's hard."

"Why?" asked the normal human among them.

"Because it offended all my senses, and my brain! Speaking like that, violating all the rules of grammar made my head hurt! It's an insult to myself to talk like that," said Brick. "Makes me feel ashamed of what I've been."

"Yeah. It's like going on the street naked. It's easy to remove your clothes, and to go to the street, but it's hard to actually convince yourself to do it!" Butch added.

"But why? Why the charade? You should've let them know how utterly wrong they are, how smart you are in reality," Mitch stated.

"Because I don't want them to learn about it, yet," said Brick. "It isn't time. We want them to underestimate us, and what better way to be underestimated than to make yourself look stupid?"

"But why? You already beat them up! You got your revenge!" Mitch stated.

"No. I want them to know that we're smarter than them! I want them to realize how superior we are in every way to them," said Brick, gritting his teeth. "Yes, we won, but it was an unfair fight."

"Yeah," Butch agreed. "We want to beat them in a fair fight."

"Fair fight? Who needs that? The girls don't fight fair! Do you ever think that they want fair fights when they fight Mojo or Fuzzy?" Mitch Mitchelson argued.

"You're forgetting your place," Brick said, looking dangerously at the brown haired boy.

"I'm so sorry, but I only meant to ask and not to offend or raise my voice," Mitch said, backtracking.

"Look, I want to fight them fairly, and win," said Brick. "There would be no excuse, and next time, we're gonna be as smart as they are or even smarter, so they can't outsmart us!"

"And I'm gonna tell you all their tricks so you won't fall for them," Mitch agreed. "Please let me help you prepare for your fight! I want to be part of their downfall."

"Oh you will," said the leader of the Rowdyruffs.

"By the way, how did you do it?"

"This fight?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah," said Mitch. "I mean how do you know that a monster that strong will attack them?"

"Honestly? We went to Monster Island and had a chat with Fred," Brick narrated. "I learned that they speak English, and so I learned the schedule of Monster Attacks."

"They speak English?"

"Yes. Funny, isn't it? Didn't your Mayor once bought Monster Island, and the Monsters moved here?" the leader replied.

"That's something I really want to forget. One of the dumbest acts of the Mayor, and that's saying something," Mitch murmured.

"So we learned who were the strongest monsters—don't worry, none of them are stronger than us—and when one of the stronger ones invaded, we waited."

"Yeah, I saw it! The girls had trouble with that giant bug!" Mitch said.

"And you saw what we did!" Boomer grinned.

Mitch had to agree. He saw the girls pushing against the monster claw and it was a desperate struggle. The girls were having the upper hand. Until the boys sneaked in, and shot them with laser, tipping the fight to the monster. It was a good thing they did their fiery comet thing, or the Rowdyruffs might have to step in to save the girls from the monster, which would complicate things further.

"That was really smart," said Mitch, "though I have to ask, would you let them die against the monster?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. It would simplify things if they died but not because of us," said Brick. "But I don't want them to die until they learned that we've become smarter than them. I'll probably save them, but in such a way so they won't find out it's us."

"So what's next?" ask the bully.

"Oh we're going to become good," Butch said.

"WHAT?" asked an astonished Mitch. This was the last thing he was expecting.

"We're gonna pretend to be good and fool everyone," said Brick. "And we're going to get that Mayor to pardon us, but first, we're gonna do something that will make those girls think twice before messing with us. We're gonna make our entrance into respectable society in grand fashion! We're gonna do it by beating up the Powerpuff Girls to the ground!"

"I'm sorry, but that sounds crazy! How can people believe that you've become good if the first thing you do is to beat up the Girls?" Mitch asked in astonishment.

"Oh they will. We're gonna do it in such a way that even the girls would think that we have no choice but to beat them up," Brick proclaimed. "We're gonna look like roses and as innocent as a baby in beating them to the ground, in front of all those people and in front of all those cameras."

"That's impossible! The town worships the girls! How can you do that?" Mitch demanded.

"Oh it's so simple. We'll put them in the wrong, and we'll beat them up for it, and the town will applaud us! And we would have a valid excuse to Ms Keane. And Mitch, you're gonna help us do it!" Brick explained calmly.

"I don't know what you're planning, but whatever it is, I'm in!" Mitch stated. "Just as long as it won't end up with them dying."

"I'm glad you got to see it my way," said Brick in a sneaky tone. "Boys, I have a plan!"

End of Chapter.

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **GoingQwazy,**

 _this feels too perfect_

 _i suspect a plot twist_

Oh yes. The boys still want revenge and want to beat up the girls, but how will they do that and pretend to be good at the same time?

* * *

To **Hinate,** _Reds Forever..._

 _I really loved the exchange of mails. .. if this continues by the time they grow up to be teenagers they would be head over heels each other XD reaaaaaaaaaaaally looking forward to it... and about there living conditions I really think with all the money they should live like rich! get a mansion for them or something lol... She can use her name or their other fake persona to get new house out in forest... Anyways ty for the update and reply... cya! soon..._

Yup, the mails really were to get Blossom and Brick to know each other better, though for now, Blossom had no idea that Kenneth was really Brick. As for when they grow up, let's see what will happen. As for their home, they're house is becoming more comfortable as this chapter demonstrates.

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _That was beeuuutifuuulll! I keep trying to look for more fics with just them in it. With them showing each other so much brotherly love but I can't find any. This is truly brilliant._

Yup. The last chapter shows their brotherly relationships, and how their attitudes progress as they go along with Ms Keane's education, while remaining true to their personalities.

* * *

To **SMOL dog Meme,**

 _Mrs. Keane doesn't know the ruffs if she thinks there gonna give up taking over the world..._

 _Nice chapter._

Thanks. Oh yeah, Ms Keane got some wishful thinking there, but at least she got them to try to pretend until they grow up, which is something big on the part of the boys.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _I like this chapter very much. So much character growth! Boomer is actually growing a backbone, and Butch is actually acting brotherly towards the youngest ruff. Brick of course was acting fairly towards Boomer and Butch too. And they are really growing very close to Ms Keane, and Ms Keane is also growing very close with her students._

 _I can't wait to see what will happen when the Powerpuff Girls find out about the truth._

Yup. Boomer is standing up for himself, and Butch too is learning to value his youngest brother. Brick is acting like a leader, older brother and parent all rolled into one. And Ms Keane is becoming attached to the boys.

* * *

To **John,**

What a wonderful chapter!

Thanks **.**


	10. III-Setting Up the Reckoning

**An Education For Power**

The Rowdyruffs studied to gain smarts, and now, thanks to Ms Keane, they got the smarts and brains they craved for. Now it was time for Vengeance. Chapter 10. The pieces for revenge are now complete. Time to slide each piece in place. The city celebrates the PPG, Brick seeks the Mayor's pardon, and the boys begin their new life "pretending" to be good citizens by seeking revenge.

 **Book III**

 **Vengeance**

* * *

 **Chapter X**

 **Setting Up the Reckoning**

 _ **97\. Powerpuff Girls Day**_

 _The next day, April 26, 2005, Tuesday…_

Blossom was supposed to be happy. After all, this was the day that celebrated the Powerpuff Girls. It was their day! No, it was not their birthday. It was something better. It was Townsville's Powerpuff Girls Day. It was a day to honor their heroes, a day when the schools would be teaching how the Powerpuff Girls arrived to save the day, a day when they would go around the city making speeches and answering questions, all to the cheers of adoring crowds.

It was morning, and the three Girls were in front of the classroom. They were still a bit banged up. In fact, Buttercup still had a bandage wrapped around her head. And Bubbles' black eye had not yet completely disappeared, though her jaw had returned to normal.

"What happened?" Mike Believe asked.

Blossom decided not to tell the city about their defeat. It would dampen the spirits of the city and spoil the Powerpuff Girls' Day celebration. It would throw the city into panic, and perhaps, shake their faith in their invincible superheroes.

It was a decision she would come to regret. If only…

"Yeah, they say that you were chased by the bug monster into the woods," said Mitch Mitchelson, with a smirk on his face.

"That's right, Mitch! We lured the monster away from the city to save lives," Buttercup explained.

"But the monster was stronger than expected! They were so strong that they actually managed to hurt us!" Bubbles truthfully added. "I told it to leave us alone, but the monster did not listen!"

"The monster hit us with everything! With full force, and power, it managed to hit us again and again! It even had laser attacks! Powerful laser attacks! We nearly got killed during yesterday's battle!" Blossom proclaimed.

"Wow! So that's why you look banged up!" Robyn exclaimed.

"Big deal! I hurt you worse before!" Princess Morbucks exclaimed, but even she cannot hide her interest in the battle as described by the Powerpuff Girls. She was excited too, rooting for the monster even as the girls were alive before her.

"Did you die? Did you die?" asked the not so bright Elmer Sglue as he ate a mouthful of paste.

"What happened next? What happened next?" Pablo exclaimed.

"Well, all hope was lost! We were weak. Our bodies were aching. All our attacks were useless. We all thought we were going to die!" Bubbles narrated.

"Oh my God! The Powerpuff Girls were going to die!" one student screamed.

"Oh shut up!" Buttercup snapped. " _We're alive, aren't we_? But in truth, things were desperate. All that our attacks did was to make a little crack in it's tough hide."

"But that crack was the key. As I said, we had exhausted nearly all our attacks!" Blossom continued. "Then I remembered! We went to the sky, and dove to the monster. We merged into a giant fire cat comet, called the Furious Fiery Feline, and hit the monster right at the crack. We burst through, and destroyed the monster, but the collision was so hard that it drained whatever energy we had. Buttercup and Bubbles were knocked out, I was nearly knocked out. I picked them up and headed home, victorious! And once more, evil cannot stand against the forces of Justice! The Powerpuff Girls rule and once again, we proved, that as long as we are here, nothing can harm Townsville! We are the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Yeah!" Buttercup shouted.

The kids cheered and applauded as the three girls bowed. Ms Keane herself clapped happily.

"And nothing else happened!" Bubbles said. "Nothing, nothing, nothing."

* * *

 _Later…_

"Did we really have to lie?" asked Bubbles as they flew to their next speaking engagement.

"I'm afraid so. The city relies on us. And this is a happy day for the Townies. They have faith in us. If they knew that we were easily beaten, they would panic, and this joyful celebration would become sad," Blossom explained. "Besides, Buttercup, do you really want to tell them how those dumb boys easily knocked you out?"

"Well, no. But I want to get back at them! I want to kick their butts!" said Buttercup. "We only lost because we were weak after fighting that giant bug!"

"And they tricked us," Bubbles concurred. "They said that they were pardoned, and that they were becoming good!"

"Those boys are liars!" Blossom agreed. "Such boys don't have any chance of changing and becoming good."

The Powerpuff leader kicked herself for falling for such a lie. But they had no choice. They had to pretend to believe it, and hope that they were right since the girls were so weak.

But it still rankled! To fall for a trick of such dumb boys like the Rowdyruffs! _The shame!_

And to think that she thought that they were the boys Ms Keane was tutoring! They were not, based on their intelligence level. Kenneth, Bryan, and David were all intelligent and smart, while the Rowdyruffs _were not._ She laughed at herself. The identical handwriting was probably a coincidence, and since they were ghosts, they could practically imitate any handwriting they wished. And ghosts aren't expected to follow the rules of orthography and handwriting.

The boys got lucky. It had to be luck that they stumbled upon the girls in the aftermath of a great fight. Otherwise, they planned to be there and exploit their weaknesses, and they were not bright enough to make such plans. They were dumb, and cannot spell the word "dumb".

Still, for the first time ever, there was doubt in her mind on whether the boys were truly the village idiots the Powerpuffs think they were. Were the boys smarter than they let on?

But she dismissed it. The boys think the sun revolved around the earth. And the way they talked! _God, the way they talked._ They broke every rule of grammar! They were idiots.

* * *

Later…

"Why don't we attack them at their shack of theirs?" asked Buttercup as soon as they were on their way home from their last speaking engagement. "We can teach them a lesson on messing with the Powerpuff Girls. We're not weak! We're full strength!"

"That's a good idea," said Blossom. "Let's nip this one in the bud!"

* * *

 _Later…_

"GET OFF MY PROPERTY!"

The girls were stunned as they stared at the pink-haired hillbilly with a blunderbuss at what they thought of as the home of the Rowdyruff Boys. The shack itself was more of a house now, as it was bigger and definitely better than the previous shack.

"Um, didn't the Rowdyruff Boys live here?" the leader asked.

"Yeah, they tied you up and drove you away!" Bubbles added. "I was here."

"DON'T KNOW! They left and I came back!" the hillbilly replied. "Now get out!"

"Um, sorry Fuzzy!" Bubbles apologized before the three girls left, embarrassed.

"That was embarrassing," said Blossom as they flew home.

"What now?" asked Bubbles. "They got bored of his shack and left. We don't know where they are. How can we confront them?"

"Don't worry," the leader of the Powerpuffs said, "they'll gonna attack soon. They will think that we're weak as a result of our fight. And then we can teach them a lesson."

"But what if they're planning something else?" asked Bubbles. "I mean, they haven't attacked yet. That's strange."

"Please! The boys can't plan their way out of a paper bag. We'll attack them when we're at full strength the next time we see them," Buttercup argued.

"Yeah, you're giving too much credit on their puny brains of theirs," the redhead leader agreed.

Blossom wasn't too worried. They were the Rowdyruffs, after all. It was a good thing that the Boys were dumb. It made things a lot less tense and a lot more hopeful.

* * *

 _ **98\. Origins of the Powerpuffs**_

 _Later…_

"Today Class, can you guess what day it is?" asked Ms Keane to the three students in her basement.

"Um, oh, is it Tax Day?" Brick asked.

"No. That's April 15, eleven days ago."

"Um, is it Good Friday?" Boomer asked.

"Stupid! It's Tuesday," Butch scolded, hitting his blonde brother in the head. "Duke of Destruction my butt! Show you're not Dumber than the Dumbest!"

Brick thought that it should instead be celebrated as _"the day after they beat the skirt off the Power sissies_ ", but he kept quiet.

"Today is the Powerpuff Girls Day!" Ms Keane exclaimed in excitement. "This day was set aside by the city in celebration of its greatest heroes. It's a holiday!"

Brick regretted that he had not beaten the girls that day. It would be even sweeter if they had thrashed their girly nemesis on their special day. If only he had known!

"So if it's a holiday, does that mean that there's no school?" Boomer asked hopefully.

"Sadly, it's a working holiday. Still, there are speeches and parades in the city to honor them. And in school, all teachers are legally required to teach their students about the Powerpuff Girls, and the girls themselves would make speeches and will show off their powers, though the latter had been postponed this year because they were recovering from yesterday's Monster fight."

"What happened?" asked Butch, although he already knew what had happened.

"There was a monster attack," said Ms Keane, "yesterday, and it was tough, and it took the girls all they had to defeat it. It was so difficult a battle that Buttercup and Bubbles were knocked unconscious, and Blossom barely escaped."

So they did not tell anyone about their encounter with the Rowdyruffs! But why? Not that Brick was going to look a gift-horse in the mouth, as their silence would make it easier to transition into respectable members of society and in "pretending" to be good.

Probably to spare themselves the humiliation of having to explain how they got beat by someone they belittled.

"By the way, you should start trying to beat monsters and act like superheroes," said Ms Keane. "If you are a hero to many people, they would more likely follow you when you embark on your goal of conquering the world!"

"So are you saying that we should fight monsters and criminals and other villains?" asked Brick. "But that will ruin our credibility as villains!"

"Precisely. We want to fool the entire world into thinking you're good. After all, what good is 'pretending' to be good if no one believes you? Besides, you're better than all other villains. Who cares what they think?" the Teacher argued back with her impeccable logic.

"Well, okay," said Brick.

"And people still remember that you've done evil things before. In order to convince them and fool them into believing you, you must show that you're genuine. Win their hearts and minds by saving the day," Ms Keane adviced. "Then when you're grown up, tell them that you have to conquer the world in order to save it! They'll buy it since they would always think of you as heroes, not villains."

"That makes sense," Brick said. "Okay, we'll do it as soon as possible."

But first, they would get their revenge on the girls, and make sure they will understand who's going to be the boss.

"Now, let's go back to the Powerpuff Girls. I am legally required to teach you all about them," she began. "So I'll start at the beginning. Townsville before was dark, dank, and gloomy. Crime ran rampant, and people were afraid of crime and evil."

"That is so cool!" Boomer exclaimed.

Butch exclaimed. "I wish I was born then! It would have been perfect!"

"Yeah! We would have fit right in! We won't have to pretend to be good to be part of it!" Brick added.

"Ahem. Boys, let me continue. As I was saying, Townsville was in a wretched state. And Professor Utonium was trying to create the perfect little girls. He always wanted to have children, and I supposed he remembered that little rhyme. _'What are little girls made of? Sugar, spice, and everything nice!'_ And it worked. Sort of. You see, the Professor had a pet monkey called Jojo."

"Wait, Jojo? Does that have anything to do with us?" Boomer asked, curious.

"Don't rush me," said the Teacher. "Jojo was a mischievous little pet, and he pushed the Professor as he was mixing the sugar, spice, and everything nice. Now a vial of Chemical X happened to be above the concoction, and the push of Jojo made the Professor hit the vial, and the Chemical X was accidentally mixed with the concoction. And there was an explosion. And the Powerpuff Girls were born. Jojo's brain mutated as a side effect. He became Mojo Jojo."

"Wait, so you're telling me that Mojo was the one who actually created the Powerpuff Girls?" Butch asked.

"And the Powerpuff Girls' real father is Mojo, and does that mean, that they are our sisters?" Brick asked with a grimace. Bad enough that the Powerpuff Girls were their enemies, but to discover that they were actually their sisters! It's madness! He can't have revenge against family!

"No, Mojo did not create the Powerpuff Girls. The Professor did. And so they are not your sisters," the Teacher asserted.

"They're not?" Boomer asked with relief.

"Whew! For the moment there, I actually thought that we may be related!" Butch agreed.

"Still, that was interesting. So Mojo was created the same time as the Powerpuff Girls."

"Right. So at first, everything was peachy. The girls were adorable and nice and a bit naïve, and they won the heart of the Professor. They enrolled in my class in kindergarten, and at first, they fit in. I remember that day like it was yesterday. They were cute, but I didn't, at first, have an inkling of who they really were. It was normal at first.

"Until they played tag. And, how can I put it? They destroyed, the school and the city, playing tag."

Brick's big red eyes widened. "What? The Powerpuff Girls, the goody two-shoes girls, destroyed the city because they played tag?"

"Well, they don't know how to control their powers yet," Ms Keane said, reminiscing about that day. "And yes, many buildings were destroyed. The city streets were reduced to rubble, and damage was astronomical."

* * *

 _ **99\. Styles Make Fights**_

"Awesome!" Butch remarked. His brothers nodded.

"I have a tape of the news reports on that day," Ms Keane continued.

They were transfixed as Ms Keane pressed a remote and the TV at the back of the basement came alive.

They were flabbergasted. The city was wrecked.

"Wow! They destroyed the city worse than we ever did," Brick remarked.

"We never ever did that much damage," Butch added.

"That's because the Powerpuff Girls were there to stop you from doing worse," said Ms Keane, pausing the tape. "As for the Powerpuffs, predictably, the city was not so welcoming. Considering the damage they did, it was not surprising."

She then got a newspaper from the _Townsville Tribune_ issue from July 3, 2004. There was a black and white picture of the Powerpuff Girls flying. The headline was " **FREAKY BUG-EYED WEIRDO GIRLS BROKE EVERYTHING**!"

"That ain't right," said Butch, growling.

"Yeah. We're freaky bug-eyed freaks too!" Brick asserted. He hated the town. He hated the Powerpuff Girls, but somehow, the thought that the town once hated the girls was sickening. How can the girls serve those idiots? When he pretends to be good, he will make sure that no one will disrespect him or his brothers, the way they did the Powerpuff Girls.

She continued the tape. And they saw all the negative comments from the townspeople. That made him sick. The girls were powerful beings. They were superior and strong, so the town should worship them and do as they say. They had no right to treat them that way, and the girls were too much of a sissy to do anything about it. He wasn't lying when he wrote to Blossom saying that they should rule the city as was their right as the Townies' superior. Now the girls will lose their right, because the boys will assert it once it was their time.

He will never ever let the town treat he and his brothers thus. At the present, the people won't openly maltreat them for the citizens fear them as villains! Brick will make sure that that fear will remain even as they perform heroic acts.

"As you might imagine, the girls were dejected. So it was an opportunity for Mojo Jojo to manipulate their emotions into helping them. You remember Mojo's volcano-top observatory?"

"Yes. It was our home before we discovered the shack."

"It wasn't there before. You know who constructed it?"

"Mojo?" Boomer guessed.

"Well he did design it. And he supervised the construction. Did you know who actually built it?"

"Um, construction workers?" Brick replied.

"It was the Powerpuff Girls."

"The Powerpuff Girls constructed Pops' home?" Butch shouted, in shock.

"Yes. Mojo Jojo told them that he had a brilliant plan to make the city a better place. So they did it. And they even gave him Chemical X."

"Oh my God!" Brick stated, shocked.

"Well, in truth, as you may expect, it was just a lie, a trick. Mojo's plan was to use the monkeys and apes on Townsville zoo and douse them in Chemical X. He succeeded too, and the Professor was so disappointed. The monkeys ran rampant and destroyed what's left of the city, the ones the Powerpuff Girls didn't destroy. The Powerpuff Girls used their powers to save the citizens and defeat the evil monkeys, including Mojo. After that, the townspeople welcomed them and since that day, we love the girls and we treat them as the heroes that they are."

Ms Keane's tale opened up a lot of possibilities to Brick. So the Townsville people were a fickle lot. They hate them one time, since the girls did destroy the town over a game of tag, then suddenly loved them when they saved the day, even if the danger was something the girls helped bring about, even if unknowingly. Brick knew right there and then that fooling the town into believing that they turned good would be easy.

The next part of the lecture on Powerpuff Girls day was no less interesting as their origins. It was a discussion on all the other times they saved the city. And it was accompanied by video tapes of their fights, caught on film, with the various monsters and villains and even crooks.

Something clicked as he watched.

 _The fighting style of the girls_.

They were identical to their counterparts' fighting. It was so clear! Blossom fought like Brick. Butch like Buttercup. And Bubbles like Boomer. All three boys were regularly fighting each other, and he already knew like the back of his hand the fighting styles of his brothers. Of himself too. Watching scores of fights with the Powerpuffs made him realize that the girls had fighting styles too.

Excellent. He can now plan the impending fight with the girls since he now knew how they fought.

And suddenly, he knew. He finally understood the best way to beat them in the fight.

In boxing, so they say, _Styles make fights_. The same was true in a superpowered fight.

Their day would come. Soon. Very soon.

The day concluded with a lecture on the awards and honors received by the Powerpuff Girls throughout their existence. Including the golden statue of the Powerpuff Girls, their medals, even being given cookies by the Mayor.

"Ms Keane. I want to ask you something," said Brick, remembering Blossom's letters. "Did the Powerpuff Girls commit any crime, deliberately? Did they go to jail because of something they've done, not because of a mistake?"

"Honestly, and it really pains me to say this, but yes. They did. Blossom once stole golf clubs for the Professor."

"Wait—Blossom, goody two-shoes Blossom, stole golf clubs?"

"Yes. But she was jailed and did community service for it, and she was really really sorry for it," she tried to explain, uncomfortable with the question.

"Any other time they broke the law?"

"Now that you mention it, there was this one time. They encouraged a sleepwalking Professor to steal toys for them," Ms Keane said with a bit of a smile.

"What? They actually encouraged theft?" Brick asked, flabbergasted.

"Well, yeah, their greed got the better of them that time. But the Professor and the Mayor and the police made a trap, and they learned their lesson," she said, a bit embarrassed for the girls. "Anyway, please, please, don't tell anyone I told you this. I really shouldn't have told you all those things."

"Oh we won't tell them you told us," said Brick, snickering.

* * *

 _Later_ …

"So, did they come?"

"Yeah, those lil' girls came barging in!" Fuzzy Lumpkins explained to the boys when they arrived home. "Enjoyed telling them to get off ma property!"

"Told you they'd come," said Brick. "Here's a diamond for your troubles."

"Well, this property of mine ain't mine no more," said the Hillbilly, eyeing the diamond with greed, "Ms Keane bought it for lots of green paper! Since ya ain't lettin' me live here, might as well sell it. So many green paper! Ya sure she's right with you livin' in her land?"

"Trust us, she would approve," said Boomer as Fuzzy took the diamond. "Don't tell anyone."

"Wait till Ma and Pa and ma cousins here about this!" Fuzzy shouted as he pocketed the diamond, grabbed his blunderbuss and his banjo, and left.

* * *

 _ **100\. Boomer v. Brick**_

 _The next day, April 27, 2005, Wednesday…_

Brick looked at Boomer, in a clearing on the woods. It was time for their fight.

He recalled how it came to this. Boomer had beaten Butch in their fight during Christmas. Pretty thorough beating he gave the green ruff too. It was a no contest. Because of Boomer's bat. So naturally, the King of Crushing wanted a go with the winner.

But it kept getting delayed. Butch wanted a rematch with the victor, and Boomer was only too glad to give it. And they fought about eight times afterwards, with Boomer having four wins, and Butch having four. It pretty much boiled down to who could get the first hit. If Butch managed to punch Boomer before his blond brother was able to hit or shock him, then Boomer was going down. But if Boomer managed to hit Butch with his bat before Butch hit Boomer, then Butch would lose badly.

It was all thanks to his bat. Without it, Boomer would be no match to Butch.

Brick was curious. He really wanted to fight both this brothers, especially Boomer. But instead, he kept fighting Butch. His middle brother kept challenging him to fights in order to avenge his one-sided defeat. They had fought about ten times, and Brick won nine fights, and Butch just one. Honestly, Butch never knew when to give up! He vowed he would never stop until he surpassed Brick's wins over him. As if that would ever happen. Butch does not think when he fights. Always instinct. Always the desire to do violence unto his brethren.

So he was fighting Boomer. And he had another motive for wanting to fight him aside from the fact that he hadn't fought his younger brother before.

He looked at the big blue eyes of the blond. He had a confident swagger, but his eyes told him he was nervous, even fearful. For what was Butch compared to him, the future ruler of the world? Boomer was right to worry, though Brick hoped that it wouldn't affect his spirit in fighting. He wanted a good fight, and knew Boomer wanted to do his best too.

"BEGIN!" the referee, Butch, shouted.

He stood there, and waited for Boomer to attack.

"Come on, attack!" he said as both took defensive positions.

"No, you attack," said Boomer, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his brother.

Brick would not directly attack Boomer. He could see that Boomer was preparing to bring forth his bat and smash him as soon as he did that. Better try to goad him to move first.

"Boomer! You're the Duke of Destruction, right? You're not the Dumber than the Dumbest! Now prove that you're worthy of being the Duke and attack!"

"Na ah! You attack, big brother!" Boomer shouted. "You're the leader! Lead on! Attack me!"

"COME ON!" Butch shouted, his boredom showing on his voice. "Attack! Or I'll declare that both of you lost and call it a draw!"

But Boomer refused to move, his eyes never leaving Brick. They just stared at each other, circling around the dirt, both too cautious to move, Boomer because his plan was to hit Brick with his bat as soon as the leader attacked, Brick because he wanted to exploit any mistake that Boomer would do when attacking.

Brick gritted his teeth. If Boomer was not going to attack.

"Oh come on! Watching paint dry is more exciting than this!" Butch mumbled. "If nobody's gonna move, I'm gonna declare a draw in five, four, three…"

Brick suddenly lunged, unwilling to take a draw. Boomer smirked as electricity formed in his hand, ready to smack his brother as soon as he was in range. Brick charged, his eyes upon Boomer's hands. As soon as the bat was formed, he immediately changed directions, and Boomer's swing hit nothing but air. Instead, Brick appeared above Boomer, and laser-eyed him. Boomer screamed in pain as laser engulfed him and the bat dissolved. Brick followed it up by a kick to the head.

Boomer fell to the dirt, but he quickly recovered and put as much distance between him and his older brother. Brick attacked again. Boomer, once more, prepared his bat, but Brick did the same trick. He suddenly changed directions just before Boomer swung his bat, and appeared to Boomer's right. He delivered a powerful kick on the blond's stomach. The youngest brother, hurt, retreated farther away and flew.

Brick attacked, expecting him to repeat what he did, but Boomer, instead of standing and waiting with his bat, suddenly backed off and retreated even further. "Stand and fight, you coward!" Brick shouted as he chased Boomer.

The leader was fast enough that he was able to keep him in sight. But Boomer was faster, so Brick could not catch him. Boomer knew that he was the fastest, and he began to become reckless as he flew in circles, clearly taunting the redheaded leader. Brick flew in straight lines, and soon, he caught up.

"Na na! Can't catch me, big brother!" Boomer shouted.

"You cannot win like that. You gotta hit me! Fight, or you'll lose by forfeit!" Brick shouted.

Boomer flew backwards, and thus, flew a bit slow, and as Brick was able to close the distance. As Brick approached, Boomer's dark blue eyes glowed and he shot him with laser. Brick was hit, and that slowed him down. The red-eyed boy did not even notice Boomer above him, and he felt a sickening kick on his head.

He fell down, and Boomer pushed him with all his power to the ground. An explosion occurred, and there was a crater all around them.

Brick was hurt! That was unexpected. Boomer would be much more difficult to defeat than Butch ever was. "Ha! Who's the coward now?" Boomer shouted.

"Okay, you got me! Now finish me off!" Brick shouted, hoping to draw Boomer into an attack.

Boomer just kept his distance, and shot him with a laser ball. Brick avoided it. Boomer's laser attacks were powerful! More powerful than his own energy attacks and Butch's. Boomer may not be the most physically powerful, and he might be the weakest, but in every other category of power, he was better.

Brick kept jumping from place to place avoiding Boomer's laser from above. Boomer's weakness was his unwillingness to mix it up. Still, it was annoying as the constant barrage kept him occupied, and occasionally, one would hit him.

* * *

 _ **101\. Learning from the Fight**_

So it was quite a surprise when he felt a powerful hit on his stomach that knocked the wind out of him. Boomer's punches were the weakest, so it wasn't supposed to hurt. _It was Boomer's bat._ That thing was dangerous. Brick needed to be careful. If he even touched that thing with his bare skin, he would lose.

Despite the pain, he quickly rolled out of the way as Boomer chased him with his bat. Brick retreated into the air, and created a giant ball even as Boomer stopped and looked at Brick. He hesitated to attack head on without any distraction, as Brick could easily counter him.

"That would be useless! You know I can bounce off laser balls with my bat! Just ask Princess Bubbles!" Boomer shouted, proudly.

"Well, try this on for size!" Brick shouted as he threw the giant laser ball at Boomer. As expected, Boomer caught it with the bat, and the giant ball was bounced back, and flew upward to where Brick was supposed to be. But it was a distraction. Brick flew behind Boomer as the blond hit the giant ball, and silently gave a powerful kick to the back of his head.

With a sickening crunch, Boomer fell to the ground in pain, the bat disappearing as he clutched his head.

Brick did not give him a chance to recover as he hit his brother on the head and on his back as he lay on the ground. Boomer had no chance. Brick's punches and kicks, though not as powerful as that of Butch, was certainly more powerful than that of Boomer. His eyes glowed, and once more, he shot Boomer's prone form on the ground, and the blond could only scream. But Brick was not through yet.

He kicked him in the ribs, picked him up afterwards by the hair, and punched him in the face, and gave a powerful roundhouse kick on the temple. His blond hair was turning red from a gash formed on the forehead, and he fell, face first, to the ground.

Butch began counting.

"ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEN! And the winner! The Master Masher, the King of Crushing and Future Ruler of the World, Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo the Bludgeoner!"

"I won!" Brick said, a bit downcast. That was harder than expected.

"Ha! I took only five to ten minutes when I do beat him! Sometimes even less," Butch asserted.

"How long was our fight?" asked Brick, a bit curious.

"About one hour."

"ONE HOUR!" Brick shouted as he picked up his unconscious brother. "That long?"

"Yeah. You spent most of your time staring at or chasing each other! Honestly, you fought like girls! You kept on waiting for one of you to make the first move!" Butch ranted.

"So we did," Brick said, deep in thought. Boomer was a more difficult opponent for him than Butch. Who would have imagined? And they could easily have fought to a draw, or even a victory for Boomer. One thing was for sure. A fight between the two won't be easy, and won't be quick.

 _That fight took too long! A fight with Butch would be much shorter, and would be over while Boomer and I were still staring at each other!_ Brick frowned. He was dissatisfied with his victory.

Then it clicked. All the pieces slid into place.

He figured out the perfect plan to outfight the Powerpuff Girls. All because Brick found it so difficult to pin down Boomer! A smile so big framed his face. " _We're gonna beat them up! And we'll do it easily too_!" he exclaimed in a sing song voice.

"What are you talking about, bro?" asked Butch as they flew back to the shack.

" _We're gonna crush those girls_! Now I'm nearly 100% sure of that! My fight with Boomer is the key to it, and slid the last piece of the puzzle!"

"What? Why?"

"Can't you see?" Brick asked, looking at Butch.

Butch was puzzled. "No."

"The other pieces was your first fight with Boomer, when he was without his bat, and of course, your fight with me. What did you observe?"

"Well, I easily wiped the floor with Boomer that first fight, and you easily beat me when we fought," Butch answered.

"So use your brain," Brick said. "What does that mean about our next fight with the Powerpuff Girls?"

"I don't know. What I know is that we don't need all that. We crushed them the other day, and it was simple! We rushed in and we beat them so badly!" Butch declared.

"That's because they're weak. They were fighting that monster, and we helped that monster, if you remember, so they barely won," said Brick. "That wasn't a fair fight at all. The only reason we did that was to fulfill our obligation to avenge Mitch Mitchelson, right? Still, that fight gave me the opportunity to trap the girls the next time we fight."

"I don't follow you," Butch asked.

"I want us to beat the girls fair and square," declared Brick. "I want them to be in their best physical shape. We'll beat them using our brains in a fair battle! And prove once and for all that the Rowdyruff Boys are better than the Powerpuff Girls."

"I still don't get it. Just tell me your plan!" Butch demanded as they reached their shack.

"I'll tell you. But let's wait for Boomer to wake up, so I won't have to tell it twice," said Brick as he put some bandages over Boomer's bloody head.

Brick was so excited. Finally, everything was going his way. And the Powerpuff Girls will curse the day they decided to mess with the Rowdyruff Boys.

Revenge would be so sweet. So sweet indeed.

* * *

 _ **102\. Practice Makes Perfect**_

 _The next day, April 28, 2005, Thursday…_

It was morning, at about nine in the morning. Brick Jojo was alone. His brothers were studying for the days' lessons, but Brick had already studied. He took seriously his teachers' admonitions to always study. His brothers did not and only study when it was absolutely necessary.

Which meant that he had free time that morning. He was heading towards the suburbs of Townsville, at Maple Street. He touched down behind a tree to avoid being seen. There were no children in the streets, being a school day.

Walking, he went to a gigantic house. The walls were white, and the roofs were long and nearly touched the ground. There were three chimneys made of stone rising towards the sky. It had a feel of a medieval type cottage updated for modern convenience. The lawn was crossed by a white driveway where a long blue car, that could be mistaken for a limo, was parked.

He walked up the door, where a gold plate with the words _STAN & SANDRA PRACTICE LIC. _were written. Above the name was _#32_ , the number of the house.

He pressed the doorbell, and a middle-aged man, with brown hair in a combover covering his balding head, with glasses, and a green shirt and light brown pants, opened the door.

"Oh, Mr Jojo! Come in!" he said, and the leader of the Rowdyruffs entered.

"Who is it, dear?" shouted a female voice, whom Brick identified as Mrs Sandra Practice, his wife.

"It's Brick Jojo!" he shouted.

"Oh! Then what are you waiting for?"

It wasn't the first time Brick visited the Practices. When Blossom in her letter mentioned that he was a lawyer, and that they disliked the girls, Brick decided that he might be the man to help him learn the law and help him in legal matters. Ms Keane was smart, and knew about the law a great deal, but she was not a lawyer, and she would not have the perspective and knowledge of the law that a lawyer had. And the fact that they had some petty tussles with the Powerpuff Girls gave him the idea that they may be amenable in helping them to damage the Powerpuff girls.

Brick, of course, flattered him, saying that he heard that he was one of the best lawyers in town. An exaggeration, of course, but better lawyers may not be willing to teach a six-year-old supervillain use the law to hurt the Powerpuff Girls. Mr Practice easily accepted the offer once Brick showed him a diamond and promised a weekly payment of one diamond. Sandra agreed too when she saw the diamond.

They proceeded to his study, and Brick sat on one of the chairs, and Mr Practice began to lecture. The topic was local law, mostly ordinances like the law on littering, loitering, illegal parking, jaywalking, that sort of stuff. Weeks before, they studied more serious crimes, the elements, and such. They also learned about things that may excuse breaking the law, like self-defense. And he talked about procedures in law, and how to do things properly under the law. And Brick was fascinated by procedural law. It gave him ideas on how to break the law without being liable by invoking some technicality.

"So, how's your pardon application coming along? It's better if you do it as soon as possible," said Mr Practice after the lessons have ended.

"Oh it's coming along," said Brick as he closed the law book he had been looking at.

"If you're gonna do something to those girls, do it before you get pardoned," Mrs Sandra Practice, who entered to give her husband a cup of coffee and Brick a cup of hot chocolate, advised. "And whatever you're gonna do, make them suffer!"

"But that wouldn't be a good model for children!" Brick replied, gently mocking them.

"Oh I don't care about it," Sandra Practice replied, "they humiliated us, and they should pay!"

"And beating them up should teach all kids a valuable lesson," Mr Practice stated, "that being a smart aleck like those three, and beating and punching to save the day, is not a good role model for children!"

"But they would see us, the Rowdyruff Boys, using powers and such," Brick argued back.

"Doesn't matter. Children don't idolize you, and won't imitate you," Mrs Practice assured. "Nobody would confuse your behavior as something noble and worthy of emulation."

"I guess. We're evil, but aren't you setting a bad example by helping someone evil?" Brick asked.

"Oh you're gonna get pardoned anyway, so it won't matter," said Mr Practice. "If anyone asks, I'm gonna tell them that I was trying to tell you how to seek a pardon."

Brick nodded. "Don't worry, I'm gonna be clean as a whistle soon! I've beaten up those girls already."

"You did?" asked Stan. "But I haven't heard anything about it."

Brick told them the story of how he and his brothers beat up the Powerpuff Girls a few days ago.

"That's nice. But you ought to do it publicly. That way, they would really be humiliated," Mrs Practice suggested. "Then ask for a pardon."

"I would do it, except I want to win the city, and I don't want the people to hate me, which they would if I beat them up again, and no pardon is gonna change that," said Brick. "We're gonna live normal lives. We cannot be hated. So I'm planning our little rematch in a remote location. That way, nobody would actually see the fight."

"Hm, that does present a dilemma. Getting beat up is nothing to the girls," Mr Practice stated.

"Or, maybe I could beat them up after the pardon," Brick suggested.

"What? You're crazy! If you do that, you'd get arrested and you won't be able to live a normal life!" Mr Practice argued. "A pardon only applied to past crimes, not future ones."

"But I won't be committing a crime in beating them up!" the redhead argued.

"Huh? That's something new," Mrs Practice commented. "No matter how you slice it, beating up girls, without any reason, even as despicable as those Powerpuffs, _is a crime_."

Brick smirked. "What if it's not a crime? Say, I want to ask you, is there any instance when beating up someone is not a crime?"

"Well, when you're doing it in self-defense," Mr Practice replied. "So that's it? Self-defense? That would only work if they attack you first and you have to defend yourself. How are you gonna make them attack you first?"

"We're villains!" Brick asserted. "They'll attack us because they think we're a menace to society. And they would want revenge. Then we'll fight back and kick their butts!"

"That does make sense," he admitted.

"You're a lawyer. Suppose we're minding our business in the city. Then they treacherously attacked us. We fought back then beat them up. Is that a crime? Will the people turn on us if that's what happened?" asked the Rowdyruff.

"No, it's not a crime. That's self-defense, and the law protects the rights of citizens to self-defense. And the girls would be committing the crime in that case, not you," Stan answered. "But how will you make them do such an attack on you?"

"Am I planning an attack? That's just a hypothetical! As if I would want them to attack my brothers! I'm not going to expect it!" The redhead asserted.

"Unless of course you were not yet pardoned. Then they have every right under the law to attack you to bring you to custody since you're criminals," Mr Practice argued. " _And if you were pardoned, then they won't attack you first_."

"I won't expect an attack! The girls are pure and good! I would never ever imagine them capable of such a thing!" Brick shot back. "As I said, purely hypothetical. If I told them that I received a pardon, I'm sure they'll believe me and welcome me with open arms."

"Yes, hypothetical," said Mrs Practice.

"I have another question," Brick asked again.

…

* * *

 _ **103\. I Beg Your Pardon**_

 _Later that afternoon, about 1:00 p.m…_

The three Rowdyruff Boys were in the Mayor's office.

"Hello Mayor!" Brick greeted. "Is Ms Bellum here?"

"Ms Bellum? It's her day off," the Mayor said. "She can't work everyday, though she should! How else could I open my jar of pickles if she's not around? Hello Boys!"

The three were floating around him, Brick holding a jar of pickles, and Boomer a plate of Turkish Delights.

"We have gifts!" Brick stated, and gave it to the Mayor.

"Oh Brick Kenneth Charles, you really know the way to my heart," the bald chief executive of Townsville exclaimed as he greedily grabbed the jar and set it on his table.

"And here are some Turkish delights!" said the Mayor, grabbing the gift from the blond's hands.

Brick smiled. He can already taste that pardon. "Mayor, we would like a favor from you."

"Anything for my friends," the Mayor stated, looking lovingly at the pickles inside the jar.

"We've been friends for about five months now," Brick began, "and since you're so kind to us, we want to say we're sorry."

"Sorry?" the Mayor asked, puzzled.

"We're sorry for the things we've done to the city," said Brick. "Please pardon us, so we can again walk the city streets like free men."

"Yeah, we're sorry," Boomer pleaded. "Please forgive us!"

"Yeah. We beg your pardon!" Butch prayed, though Brick knew how much his middle brother detests saying sorry to other people.

All three boys put on their puppy dog eyes, which he learned from Ms Keane and from the letters of Blossom, to be particularly effective on adults.

"Oh how can I resist such cute faces! Okay, I'll grant your pardons."

"Absolute pardons, not conditional?" Brick asked.

"Yes. Absolute pardon! Your record will be wiped clean!" the Mayor said, going to his drawers, and getting three pieces of paper.

Brick looked at it. _ABSOLUTE PARDON_ was written on top of it. "Write your name on this," the old man instructed, on a blank space. Brick wrote his full name, then Butch on the second piece of paper, and Boomer on the last. The mayor filled the date, and he signed his name on the bottom.

He smiled.

Brick read the document.

 _Pursuant to the authority conferred upon me by the Charter of the City of Townsville, Maine, and the Constitution of the State of Maine, I, Jay Mayor, the Mayor of Townsville, hereby grant a free and absolute pardon to BRICK KENNETH CHARLES JOJO, for all and any crimes he had or may have committed up to this date, April 27, 2005, whether or not he had been charged for it or not._

 _He shall henceforth be a free citizen, and no one, on account to acts prior to the pardon, could take any action against him._

 _All government records and files of any criminal act committed or allegedly committed by the said BRICK KENNETH CHARLES JOJO prior to this date shall be ordered erased._

 _This shall take effect upon his acceptance of this pardon._

 _(signed)_

 _Jay Mayor_

 _Mayor of Townsville_

Brick then wrote a note on the blank space. _I, Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, accept this free and absolute pardon, this day of April 27, 2005._ He then signed his name below it.

His brothers did the same on their respective pardons.

Finally, to be sure, they signed separate documents indicating their acceptance of the pardon.

"Well, that's that!" the Mayor said. "You are now free to go where you like!"

"Awesome!" Boomer shouted, raising his fists in the air. "Thank you, Mr Mayor!"

"We should tell everyone, and we'll have a grand celebration! And everyone will have pickles!" the Mayor announced.

"Oh no, please Mayor, don't tell anyone yet. No big announcement for the meantime. We need time to prepare," Brick argued.

"What do you mean?" asked the Mayor.

"We'll just make the announcement when it's time," said Brick. "We want to be the one to do it when we feel we're ready."

"Are you sure?" asked the Mayor.

"We're sure. And please, don't tell anyone about this before we're ready," the leader of the Rowdyruff pleaded. "We need to prepare."

"Um, okay," said the Mayor.

"And just that, we have more pickles for you!" Brick announced, right before Butch, who left after signing the second document, returned with a jar of pickes.

"For pickles, I'll do anything you tell me!" the Mayor said.

"Thanks," the boys said. "Well, we better be going. And remember, if you tell anyone before we're ready, no more Pickles!"

"Don't worry!" the Mayor said, looking longingly at the Pickles.

The boys left through the windows, and flew straight to the clouds to avoid being seen.

"So what do we do now?" asked Boomer.

"We go to Ms Keane."

"Why?" asked Butch.

"We have classes, Doofus!" Brick scolded.

"I mean, after the pardon, what next?" Butch said as he stared at the pardon document in his hand.

"Oh. Officially, this day is the day of our new lives," said Brick with a triumph. "But we still need to get our revenge on the Powerpuff Girls."

"Yeah! Revenge!" Boomer shouted happily.

"Just do what I say, boys, and everything will be okay," the redhead assured.

"But won't Ms Keane be mad when we beat up the girls?" the blond asked worriedly.

"The way I'm going to set it up, she would have to agree that we would have no choice than to beat those sissies to the ground!" the leader whispered conspiratorially. "And boys?"

"Yeah?" asked Butch.

" ** _No crimes_**. I mean it. This is the start of our pretending to be good," Brick instructed. "Don't give reason for the Powerpuff Girls to beat us up."

* * *

…

During their tutorial class that afternoon, the boys showed the pardons to Ms Keane, who was very happy. It seemed as if all her plans to turn the boys good had come true. She was truly excited. But the boys asked Ms Keane to keep this a secret for a little while longer, and they would be the ones to make the grand announcement.

"In fact, Ms Keane, we would personally announce our pardon to the Powerpuff Girls!" Brick declared.

"That's a wonderful idea!" the teacher of the Powerpuff Girls replied.

"But don't tell them yet or anyone else for that matter. It's a secret. I want to surprise everyone with the announcement!" the leader of the Rowdyruffs requested.

"Don't worry! I won't tell a soul! Now you really could pretend to be good citizens!" their tutor cooed.

* * *

 _ **104\. Pen Pals**_

 _In the meantime…_

Blossom was at home, looking at the envelop. At least there was something she could look forward to, and something to distract her from the fear of what the Rowdyruff Boys would do. Correction, not _fear_ , but _worry_ , since why should the Powerpuff Girls fear the Rowdyruff Boys? Strong the boys may be, but she had every confidence that the girls could easily outsmart them, provided the boys were not blessed with dumb luck. After all, the Rowdyruffs were dumb, not like Kenneth, Bryan, and David, who were very smart.

Blossom was impressed with their progress. She remembered their academic scores when they first started being tutored last year. Now it was April 2005, and their results were like night and day. They were far more intelligent than they were before. And she could chart their progress. Kenneth's test scores were amazing. Sometimes, she could even admit that Kenneth would, in certain subjects, even surpass Blossom. He was very very intelligent.

Bryan was far behind, but even he was smarter than before. He was at par with Buttercup. And David was certainly the dumbest among the three, but was still smarter than most kids their age. And his art talent improved. He can now do water colors and do oil paintings. His favorite subject was drawing buildings. He was at par with Bubbles in that area. It seemed that the three students of Ms Keane were their male normal and smart counterparts, like the Rowdyruffs were their male superpowered dumb counterparts.

She opened the envelop.

* * *

 _April 26, 2005_

 _Ms Blossom Utonium,_

 _Congratulations!_

 _The Powerpuff Girls Day Celebration was magnificent! And you did a wonderful job going around the cityand making all those speeches to all those people. I am impressed by how you defeated that strong monster. Truly, you are the savior of Townsville. You should be proud of your scars and blackeyes and injuries, for you received them in the service of Townsville!_

 _That was very impressive. As they say, the harder the victory, the greater the glory! You should cover yourself in glory! The city should throw a ticker tape parade in your honor!_

 _I should know, since I saw the fight with the monster, and how you struggled. I was worried at first. I was afraid you'd lose. Then you flew out of the city. That was a heroic thing to spare the city more damage and save more lives._

 _I really would like to meet you soon. I assure you, you probably have seen us as you scanned the city. We're just ordinary looking boys, and you probably never guessed it was us that you saw. We already had seen you before, since everyone knows the Powerpuff Girls. And you actually looked at us that day, but it would never cross your mind that the three boys you saw were the students of Ms Keane that was tutoring._

 _Ms Keane had the pleasure of relating your history with the city, how you were born, etc. It really angers me that this city dared to call you "bug-eyed freaks" and denounce you. Do they really need be shown how you can save the city by your superpowers before they can appreciate you? And I am so glad that you did not give up your powers. Never give it up. That's what makes you unique._

 _Anyway, I'm rambling. See you soon._

 _K.C. Jojo_

* * *

She really liked the letter, and she took a piece of paper, and penned her reply.

* * *

 _April 27, 2005_

 _To K.C._

 _No, please, no celebrations. In truth, I do not want to remember that horrible day. Although we saved the day and defeated the monster with difficulty, something else happened. We were defeated by the Rowdyruff Boys._

 _I haven't told anyone else, and I told my sisters to tell no one. For the next day is the Powerpuff Girls Day, and for Townsville, it is a day of celebration. I would not dampen the mood of the city by telling them we were defeated by our most powerful and detestable enemy, the Rowdyruff Boys. Imagine the panic and the mayhem that would engulf our city if the population knew that we were so easily defeated._

 _Although I always tell others to never lie, sometimes, being a superhero, would require us to tell some white lies in order to save the day, or to preserve peace and order._

 _Technically, we didn't lie anyway. We did get injured, and we did have difficulty before destroying that monster, and that monster fight did drain most of our energy._

 _So how can some stupid boys so easily defeat us? Simple. They lucked out when they encountered us at our weakest. And they tricked us. They pretended they've been pardoned, and when we shook hands, they grabbed us and beat us up. Though I still don't understand why didn't they just kill us. Surely, they wanted to destroy us? Why didn't they? It's their best opportunity!_

 _Well, it no surprise that they didn't take it. They're stupid, after all._

 _Please don't tell anyone else. We've been writing long enough that I am now confident that you won't tell anyone of my secrets. After all, none of the other secrets I told you got out._

 _ **I trust you.**_

 _We already saw you? You probably were in the crowd of people that we barely noticed as we were too busy fighting the monster. It's so awesome that we actually saw each other that day!_

 _Yes, those first few days of being born were painful even as they were happy. It took a while to be accepted, and besides, it's our fault they misunderstood us. We did, after all, destroy the city while playing tag, and helped Mojo build his observatory and to nearly cause him to conquer the world on his first attempt._

 _Looking forward to our meeting. I am dying to meet the mysterious K.C. Jojo! And so are my sisters! Bubbles really wanted to meet David!_

 _Blossom_

 _..._

* * *

 _May 2, 2005_

 _Blossom Utonium,_

 _Ms Utonium, you were defeated? Well, the important thing is that you are alive and well. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone who didn't already know about it that you were beaten by the Rowdyruff Boys._

 _But that doesn't change the fact that you saved the city from the monster! That achievement is a feat worthy of celebration! Don't let a mere defeat (which judging by what had happened since) that is unimportant to the city, dampen your spirits. You still saved the city and deserved the thanks of its citizens._

 _Look at the city now. What was the consequence of your defeat to the Rowdyruffs?_ _ **As of now, nothing**_ _. What was the consequence of your victory over the monster? The city still stands and people are still alive!_

 _Yeah, you didn't have too much control over your powers then, nor do you have any concept of being careful, but that doesn't give the city the right to call you bug-eyed freaks!_

 _I promise you, our meeting is very close._

 _K.C. Jojo_

* * *

 _May 4, 2005_

 _Ken,_

 _Thanks. That really cheered me up and put things in perspective. We did save the day, and I guess that alone is a reason for celebration. Our defeat is meaningless as nothing has come of it. Where are the Rowdyruffs? Why aren't they attacking? They just vanished into the mists, as they probably knew that they got lucky, and next time we fight, when the Powerpuffs are at full strength, using our heads and brains would lead to another defeat for those dumb boys._

 _So there was nothing to worry about. I was wrong. I overestimated the capacity of the boys for trouble. All they are good for are petty juvenile acts. They only would attack us if they chanced us at our weakest. That shows that they know_ _ **how inferior and cowardly they are**_ _._

 _I told my sisters what you told me, and they agreed. There's nothing to worry about._

 _But enough about the Rowdyruff Boys! Let's talk about you and your brothers. I can't wait to meet you! Please, please, tell us the exact date, the exact hour, the exact minute! Me and my sisters cannot wait!_

 _Blossom_

* * *

 _ **105\. Morning Heroics**_

 _It was May 9, 2005, Wednesday…_

"Wake up," ordered Brick to Boomer.

"Brick?" Boomer said sleepily.

"Today is the day."

Boomer immediately got up. "You think everything will go as planned?"

"Yes. Hopefully," Brick answered as they walked to Butch's room.

Butch, at six in the morning, was already awake. "I'm ready to kick some Powerpuff Butt!" he proclaimed.

"Good," said Brick. "Now wash and change," he commanded.

…

* * *

"You think the monster will attack?" asked Boomer as they ate breakfast.

"Fred the Monster told me that it's the weaker monsters' schedule," said Brick.

"It better be, otherwise, if it gets delayed…" Butch insinuated.

"Mitch will get in trouble for his latest prank, and the Powerpuff Girls will know about our pardon and will not attack us first," said Brick.

"So this entire thing depends on the monster attacking?" Butch asked.

"Yeah. It all hangs on that rather thin thread."

"You think Fred's telling the truth?" asked Boomer.

"Well, yeah. He hasn't been wrong before. You see, the monsters attack Townsville, and when any of them don't die, and hold their own against the girls and come back, they become heroes. This one is weak, but wants to prove himself with his fellow monsters," Brick explained. "He's probably gonna die, but that's the way it is. Thing is, the monsters keep a pretty tight schedule and if that monster don't attack now, he'll lose his chance of ever going against the Powerpuff Girls for at least six months."

"So what do they think of monsters who die?" asked Boomer.

"If they gave an exceptionally good fight, they become martyrs and heroes. The bug who nearly killed the girls is revered as some kind of hero," Brick explained.

"Do the girls know about the monster schedule?" asked Butch.

"They don't."

"Why? After all, Steve already told the girls about Monster Island," Boomer asked, flabbergasted.

"I asked that too of Fred. The girls didn't ask," Brick answered, "and I did."

"What if the Monster don't attack?"

"The girls will find out about the pardon sooner or later. After all, it's already in the papers," said Brick.

"It's in the papers?" asked Boomer in shock.

"Yes. Stan Practice published it in the legal notices section," Brick replied, flying out and returning with three of newspapers. "Thrice, in fact. April 29, May 3, and yesterday, May 8."

"What? The public knows?" asked Boomer, flabbergasted.

"Legally, they know, but actually, not really."

"I don't get it," Butch answered.

"Nobody actually reads the legal notices unless they're interested, at least that's what Stan Practice told me. Only those who wanted to auction something, or to comply with legal publication requirements, actually read those. Don't ask me. Practice's explanation went over my head," Brick answered. "Look here." Brick opened the legal notices section, which was on the bottom of page 24 of the paper.

 _ **LEGAL NOTICES**_

There were notice of trial dates. Notice of auction. Summons to Court. Text of Local ordinances. And on the bottom, was a list of pardons.

 _List of Pardons, pardoned April 29, 2005 by the Mayor of Townsville._

Then there were about twenty names written in paragraph form, and three of them were their names, but it was not in their real names. It was written as:

…

* * *

Adam Adams, William Bryant, Marcus Dyle, Yancey Espejo, Ed Franks, David Gideon, Kenneth Good, Frances Grundy, Joe Rodney, Peter Rood, Boomer Rowdyruff, Brick Rowdyruff, Butch Rowdyruff, Jake Sanders, Frank Santos, Henry Smith, Xavier Surley, Mary Taylor, Jess Tyler, Jose Unwin

* * *

It was written in an extremely tiny font, about font 8.

"Do you actually believe that the Powerpuff Girls would read that section, or for that matter, would anyone else?" asked Brick.

"I wouldn't read that even if my life depended on it," Butch declared.

"Yup. Our names our buried with other names. And you know what? Nobody actually knows our real names! Only those girls, Mojo, Him, Ms Keane, and the Professor. And who among them actually read the legal notices section?" Brick asked.

The leader really was not sure about that, but Stan Practice was so sure, and was so convincing, he was willing to gamble on it.

"But why?" asked Butch.

"The law would presume that they have read the paper, since publication is notice to the world, according to the law. When the Powerpuff Girls attack us, they, legally speaking, know that we've been pardoned. They can't say they don't know, as ignorance of the law is not an excuse."

"I don't get it. Your explanation makes my head hurt," Boomer complained.

"Just trust me on this. But this would only work if the monster attacks now. Sooner or later, someone would actually read that paper and know that the Rowdyruff Boys have been pardoned. And that would be covered by TV. And the Powerpuff Girls will know, and won't attack us without good reason."

"Okay, but do we have to go to City Hall?" asked Butch, who decided to try to change a topic he barely understood.

"We all like the Mayor," said Brick.

"We do. But Ms Bellum is there. It isn't her day off from work," said Boomer, worried. "She's a big fan of the Powerpuff Girls, and she isn't stupid."

"Don't worry. Blossom told me that if the Mayor wants something, Ms Bellum would be able to do nothing," Brick replied. "After all, did Ms Bellum stop the Mayor from selling the city to Princess Morebucks? No."

…

* * *

 _It was nine in the morning…_

"Hello Mayor!" Brick said, holding a jar of Pickles.

"Mayor! Mayor! That's the Rowdyruff Boys! They're evil!" Ms Bellum, the Mayor's assistant, shouted as she pointed to the three floating boys.

"Oh don't worry! They're my friends! Since you're here, could I tell her our secret?" asked the Mayor.

"You can," the leader of the ruffs replied.

"What secret?" Ms Bellum asked, perplexed.

"Oh I've pardoned them. Gave them a free and absolute pardon," he stated. "They've been visiting me every day at home ever since last Christmas."

"What?" Ms Bellum asked, trying to process the information in her brain. "But… but they're evil!"

"Nice to meet you too, Ms Bellum," Boomer replied.

"Oh they're not evil. Would evil boys give me a pickle every day? Or help clean my yard and my roof?" asked the Mayor. "And say sorry to me?"

Ms Bellum had no answer to that. She was too shocked to say anything.

"So Ms Bellum, we're given a blank new slate, and we're ready to enter society!" Brick announced.

"Well, that's good news!" she finally said, after finding her voice. "Three less villains to worry about! Congratulations in turning over a new leaf."

Brick could see that Ms Bellum was less than fully convinced of their change of heart. It doesn't matter. At least for the moment.

Suddenly, a police officer barged in. "A monster is attacking Townsville! Call the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Don't touch the hotline!" Brick ordered. "We have superpowers too! Allow us to demonstrate our sincerity by saving the city! Please don't call the girls. We want to show the city that we're serious and we're not joking."

"Okay, boys, but if we see that you are having trouble, we are calling the Powerpuff Girls!" Ms Bellum said, nodding.

"Thank you," Boomer said as the three boys left.

…

* * *

"Mayor, those boys were evil. This can't be right," said Ms Bellum. She looked at the Mayor. He was too busy sucking at the pickle that the boys gave him to listen to her.

"What are you three up to?" she said to herself as she stared at the window, looking at the monster ravage the town, seeing three dark streaks flying towards it.

…

* * *

"See that monster?" Brick said, pointing at the giant monster. It was furry, with spikes on its back, and was standing on two feet. It looked like a giant wolf standing on its' two feet, but with arms like a human. It already had destroyed a lot of buildings on its' path, and the roads were plowed by its' heavy feet.

The boys saw a crowd gather, and they stopped. "People of Townsville! We are the Rowdyruff Boys!" shouted Brick.

"Rowdyruff Boys? Aren't you evil villains?" asked one of the men in the crowd.

"We're gonna save the city, our home, from that monster!" Brick shouted.

The three boys attacked. The monster looked at them, and swatted them with its gigantic arms. The boys were not used to fighting monsters. They had prepared for combat with the Powerpuff Girls, but never with the monster.

So they were hit easily, and they were tossed towards a nearby building, making holes in it and making giant cracks.

"We were caught off guard," said Butch as he roared out of the now demolished building. "Nobody does that to the Baron of Berserk!"

Brick looked at his watch. _**9:30 a.m**_ **.** He needed to win soon, or his plans would be spoiled.

Butch charged and went to the monster's feet, crashing into it and causing it to fall back. Boomer was upon it, and caught it before it could hit the pavement and crush some innocent bystanders.

Boomer lifted the monster, and tossed it into the air. Brick then caught it with his laser eye, and the monster screamed, all its fur being burnt by the energy blast. He then caught it by the tail, spun it around, and tossed it to the air.

"Ready, boys, for glory?" asked Brick.

"For Glory!" Butch shouted.

Boomer was the first to shout. "For Glory! And for you, our glorious leader, Brick!"

"For Glorious leader Brick!" Butch shouted without any sarcasm. "The King of Crushing, the Bludgeoner, and the Future Emperor!"

"For Glory and for the City, and for the World!" Brick shouted as the three flew upwards, merged into a single streak of white light, and crashed into the poor monster. It exploded into a million pieces, sending _it's blood splattering on the walls of the buildings and the streets_.

The three boys landed on the pavement and the people cheered.

"Thank you, Rowdyruff Boys!" the crowd stated, cheering.

"You are welcome," said the boys as they rose and floated high above them.

* * *

 _ **106\. Attack of the Girls!**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"BREAKING NEWS! The Rowdyruff Boys, turning good? Former villains save the City of Townsville!"

Professor Utonium stopped his work in his lab at his home and looked at the tiny TV monitor that he kept in his laboratory.

He looked at the city, covered with blood, and pieces of flesh scattered.

"This is Stanley Whitfield, and if I had not seen it, I would not have believed it. The Rowdyruff Boys saved the city! They defeated the invading monster!"

"What? The Rowdyruffs?" the Professor said, shocked, staring at the TV, watching the replay of the battle.

He then watched the three boys as they floated high above the crowd.

Brick, in his low, booming voice, began to speak. "People of Townsville, we were villains, evil villains. We inflicted misery on you, and inflicted harm on the city. But we realized, that Townsville is our home too, and we hurt ourselves too when we hurt its' people. Well no more. We would protect the city from all harm, and from other villains. We have been pardoned by the Mayor for all the bad things that we have done!"

There was a cheer as the boys began aerial maneuvers in the air

"So they are finally turning in a new leaf," said the Professor as he watched.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_ …

It was quiet day at Pokey Oakes Elementary School. Ms Keane was in her usual informative and entertaining self, and the students were happy and noisy. The teacher seemed happier than usual, as she hummed in a joyful mood.

It was recess, and as usual, Ms Keane was checking the papers of her three mysterious students that she was tutoring.

Blossom Utonium, as she looked at Ms Keane with her keen vision from outside, wanted to know how the three mysterious students of Ms Keane did on their latest examination. She was sure that they would do even better than their last test. Their progress had been nothing less than phenomenal.

"Well this sucks!" Floyd Floyjoydson said. "Why can't we have TV or even radio in class? I'm missing my favorite show!"

"Your favorite show sucks!" Buttercup replied. "I mean, who watches Sesame Road at your age anyway?"

"And besides, TV, radio, and even newspapers distract students from learning," said Blossom, looking at Mitch's friend. "We can catch up on the news after class. And if there is any real emergency, _the hotline would ring_!"

…

* * *

Mitch Mitchelson looked at the girls. He snickered. Today was the day they would finally be taught a lesson. His friends would beat them up so badly.

He looked at his watch. It was 9:50 a.m.

The brown haired bully looked at the direction of the central district of the city, and saw three dark streaks of light.

Perfect!

He took a deep breath!

"POWERPUFF GIRLS! POWERPUFF GIRLS!" he began shouting, running around in panic.

The students looked at him.

Mitch continued, his hands pointing in the general direction of the city. "The City! The city is being attacked! The Rowdyruff Boys are attacking the city!"

"What?" Buttercup shouted.

Blossom turned to the direction of the city. "Girls! Look!" she shouted, pointing at the streaks of dark light above Towsnville.

"It's the boys! They're terrorizing the city!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"Ms Keane, the Rowdyruff Boys are attacking the city!" Blossom shouted as the teacher appeared on the grounds.

"Yeah, we gotta save the day!" Buttercup agreed as they flew off towards the city.

"GIRLS! WAIT!" Ms Keane shouted, but it was too late. They were gone.

The teacher's head sank. She hoped that the kids won't do anything stupid. The boys were so close to being good! Her mission was nearly accomplished! This could ruin everything!

…

* * *

 _So they were biding their time!_

Blossom should have guessed that the boys were up to no good.

"I can't wait! I've been waiting for this moment for the last six months! To get back at those boys for what they did to me in school, framing me for burning those chairs, and for beating us up while we're weak and helpless!" Buttercup ranted, her mouth fixed in a sadistic grin.

"I hope nobody got hurt!" Bubbles said, worry in her voice.

And what Blossom saw confirmed her supposition. The city was a mess. Buildings were ruined. Blood covered the place. It was horrible! _The Rowdyruff Boys were responsible_. Those evil boys were making her angry. Those poor innocent people don't deserve to be attacked by them.

The people were cheering their arrival. It's a good thing the people knew that the Powerpuff Girls would protect them.

 _It was too much._ The Rowdyruffs went too far. Doing petty, juvenile things were one thing, but destroying buildings and spilling blood—that made their blood boil.

And standing in front of them, with their arms crossed, were their mortal enemies—The Rowdyruff Boys. They were actually smiling at the carnage that they had inflicted!

She wanted to attack them, to make them pay for all the bad things they've done, and for once again, attacking the city.

"Hey Powerpuff Girls!" Brick shouted.

"Rowdyruffs!" Blossom barked.

"We want to tell you that we've been pardoned by the Mayor for all that we've done before!" said Boomer in a very loud voice.

 _What? Are they that dense? That was the same trick they played on us right after we fought that monster._

"Yeah. Look around you! We saved the day!" Brick, in a seemingly deceitful tone, added.

The girls looked around. They saw destruction everywhere.

"Right. Saved," Buttercup spat.

"Let's shake hands!" Boomer said, a little too eagerly.

Oh all the nerve! Playing the very same trick!

The three boys approached them with open palms. "Yeah, let's shake hands," Brick said, "to seal the Mayor's pardon."

 _ **The gall! The audacity!**_

Those boys really were dumb if they thought that the Powerpuff Girls will fall for the same trick twice. And this time, they were not weak and helpless. No, the girls were at their maximum strength. They can take on the boys. And they can use their smarts to beat them up. "You really expect us to believe that after what you've done?" Blossom asked in a very loud voice, her hand pointing to the city.

"After what we've done to them today, yes," Brick shouted as if that answered everything. "We did good, I think. Believe us, please!"

 _They will learn that nobody messes with the Powerpuff Girls and gets away with it._

She looked at Bubbles, worried, her eyes fixed on the boys, while Buttercup was very angry, gritting her teeth.

"Yeah, we've been pardoned, so let's shake on it," Butch said as he closed the distance between himself and Buttercup, offering his hand.

That did it. Something in Buttercup snapped.

"You really are idiots!" Buttercup shouted as she charged and punched Butch in the face, then gave a powerful uppercut, sending him high in the air. Blossom heard a gasp from the crowd, but she paid it no mind. Brick and Boomer tried to assist Butch by attempting to attack Buttercup.

Blossom then charged and attacked Brick to keep him away from Buttercup. Her eyes glowed and attacked Brick with laser, earning a scream from the leader of the Rowdyruffs. She then went and gave him and kick on the head, sending him to the pavement below.

Bubbles too attacked Boomer. She punched him on the stomach, and grabbed his hand, spun him around and tossed him to a building.

 _ **Those boys will pay!**_ They will learn not to toy with the Powerpuff Girls!

End of chapter 10

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Stanley and Sandra Practice were the same characters in the episode, " _Girls Gone Mild_."

* * *

To **GoingQwazy**

 _I thought it was gonna be a full fight rip_

It was a full fight, even it was extremely short due to the differences in strength.

 _oh well is there gonna be a happy ending?_

Yes, there would be, kinda, sorta happy ending.

* * *

To **YxYYLover**

 _It must be so difficult to come up with Brick's devious yet ingenious plans. You must be a genius yourself to be so clever and so quick with his plans. I can't believe Blossom ALMOST found the ruffs out. If only she trusted her instinct more and what the facts we telling her, she would be on par with Batman! Wow. Great chapter. I'm excited for the next._

Yes, it sometimes is difficult. The trick is to focus on what you want to happen in the end, then find out how to do it. It could be very difficult. And this chapter shows how Brick could be even more devious than previously thought. And thank you, though I'm not a genius.

Yup, it was all so obvious, based on the handwriting. If she only just let go of her preconceptions of the Rowdyruff's intelligence…

* * *

To **Guest** , **AceMasterz25**

 _At first with the monster fight I thought it was a robot controlled by the boys. With the strength and laser eyes but you fooled me. By the way could you have Brick build a resists to making the diamonds. Plus I hope Boomer gets some kind of hard core mode. Love this. By AceMasterz25._

Brick is scary smart at this point, but not that _smart_ to create a robot. That would be a job for the Professor or Mojo Jojo. Brick already has a resistance. He can only make one diamond per day, due to the fact that making a diamond would leave him temporarily powerless, and he won't recover until he had a good night's sleep. So he had been doing his diamond making at night just before bed time to minimize the side effects. As for Boomer having hard core mode, he doesn't, yet, but him with his bat come close.

* * *

To **saviorfreedom**

 _this is the coolest history i ever read really i like your history i hope u can continue the next chapter really cool!_

Thank you very much. Here is the next chapter!

* * *

To **AuroruaX7,**

 _Wow! Just, wow..._

 _I thought I'd never find a story like this, and to know I searched the site for an hour._

 _The characters were in-character, which was awesome. Awesome is an understatement at this point, since you rarely find any other fanfic with this kind of character development. It's all High School Romance crap, and mostly a disgrace to the PPG fandom._

 _The story-line and plot were really good too. I really like it. It's so interesting and eye-catching._

 _Overall, really good story. Second favorite PPG story, and there are ten on my list._

 _Characters: 11/10, Plot: 9/10, Writing: 8/10, Grammar, 7/10_

Thank you very much. Yes, I try to leave the characters in character as much as possible, while if I would change their characters, I want their developments to be shown, and also plausible given what the show gave us. And thanks for the ratings!

* * *

To **Nexus258**

 _Shoot that was a close one! Those rowdyruffs fooled them like bait with mispronunciation. Such eye catching._

Oh yes, and also wrong grammar, and wrong facts, though they did not know that Blossom figured out that they were Ms Keane's, only that they don't want the girls to find out how smart they became so they would continue to underestimate them.

* * *

To **William F Somebody**

 _So the plot thickens. Just what is Brick planning with the Mayor? And what does it mean that they needed to beat the girls in a fair fight? And they struck! I think they already got their revenge when they beat up the girls after the monster fight._

 _Looking forward to more!_

Thanks. This chapter answers what Brick is planning with the Mayor. And yeah, they want to fight them when the girls are at full strength just to show their superiority over the girls.

* * *

To **John**

 _What an intriguing chapter!_

Thank you.


	11. III-The Fight

**An Education For Power**

The Rowdyruffs studied to gain smarts, and now, thanks to Ms Keane, they got the smarts and brains they craved for. Now it was time for Vengeance. Chapter 11. The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys fight one of the greatest battles in history. The boys for vengeance, the girls, for Townsville. As the girls battle, something's amiss with the boys. Just what are they planning?

 **Book III**

 **Vengeance**

* * *

 **Chapter XI**

 **The Fight**

 _ **107\. Round 1, Butch vs Buttercup**_

Buttercup felt so good as she looked at Butch. He was thrown upwards through the air as a result of her uppercut. Weeks and months of torment from the ruffs had taken its toll on her psyche. And the unfair beating the boys gave them a few weeks ago was the straw that broke the camel's back.

She followed it up by grabbing his feet, and spun him around, throwing him to the pavement below.

* * *

…

In the air, Butch stopped himself, a grin pasted on his face. He waited as Buttercup dove after him. He wanted to attack her, but he restrained himself. _It was not yet time._

Buttercup was on him. She gave a hard kick on his stomach. He blocked it with his arm. She tried to uppercut his jaw, and he swung his head backward to avoid being hit. Buttercup was relentless. She kept trying to punch him and to kick him, but he blocked most of it.

He retreated into a shell. He frowned. He hated passive forms of combat. Every inch of him wanted to be unleashed, yet his head prevailed.

"What's the matter, _getting scared_? The Butch I knew won't just block and hide under his guard," Buttercup taunted as she kicked and he again blocked.

"What's the matter, _getting wea_ k? Can't hit someone who doesn't fight back?" Butch replied, earning a growl from his opponent as Buttercup suddenly spun around and tried to crash her foot on his head. He was able to block it, but allowed himself to be carried by the force and crashed on some buildings below.

* * *

…

Buttercup dove right after, but saw Butch in a defensive position. What was wrong with him? Was he truly her counterpart? She anticipated him going all out on her, and his defensiveness threw her off.

But she didn't care. She knew that he cannot attack while defending, not like how Blossom can. She again dove for him, and once more, Butch raised his hands to defend.

Her eyes glowed red, and laser poured forth from her eyes. However, his shield was suddenly up, and her attack dissipated against the force field surrounding him.

"Come on! Fight like a man!" she growled, trying to goad him to attack. "You're fighting like Bubbles!"

He grinned. "Ha, you're the one to talk! The toughest fighter can't even land a hit on me!"

"You're the one to talk! You didn't hit me! You didn't even try!" Buttercup shouted as she grabbed a lamp post and swung it at Butch. Butch dodged it, but the act of dodging lowered his guard, and suddenly, Buttercup was on him and he felt her fist on his jaw in another sickening uppercut.

* * *

…

That hurt Butch as he clutched his now aching jaw. He restrained all his instincts and did not fight back. Instead, he flew upwards to avoid her.

"I've been waiting a long time for this!" Buttercup shouted as she went after him. "You think you can just get away with burning my chair at school and trying to frame me for it? You think you can just go round and beat us up at our weakest? You're just dumb Rowdyruffs! And we're gonna have our revenge!"

Butch just smiled as he retreated. "Would it help if I said sorry? _**I'm sorry for the things I've done**_!" he shouted.

That just enraged Buttercup. " _ **You're gonna be sorry!"**_ she shouted back as her eyes glowed and shot him.

Again, he put up his shield.

He stopped. He really wanted to have a go at Buttercup. He was slightly stronger, but he was slowly getting weaker as a result of the hits he kept receiving. He wanted to hit her back. He cannot win this way! He was burning with humiliation inside. But his desire to follow the orders of this brother was greater than any craving for an attack.

Besides, he was still in a fight. That alone exhilarated him. If he could only fight back…

* * *

…

Buttercup charged, her arms extended. She intended to hit him with her most powerful attack. She was like a charging bull, ready to skewer her so-called counterpart.

Then he suddenly fell, as if his ability to fly was taken away from him, and she overshot her target by inches as he fell like a stone, on his back, looking at Buttercup, his eyes filled with amusement and his mouth twisted with a grin.

"Two can play at that game!" she stated, and let herself fall, but instead of falling on her back, she fell with her head pointing down, and her feet up, thus eliminating wind resistance, and she fell faster than Butch. She extended her arms, intending to ram him on the stomach into the pavement below. She was alert, as he could easily avoid it. But she could easily change directions if that happened.

His eyes glowed. Was he actually attacking?

Finally! A real fight, not a cat and mouse game!

But the glow disappeared. "Fooled ya!" he shouted and continued falling.

Buttercup was about to catch him, when he changed the direction of his body, his head falling first, and thus, both fell at the same rate.

She smirked. Her eyes glowed and this time, her laser actually hit him.

There was a gasp in the crowd as he screamed in pain as she caught up with him, grabbed his head, and shoved it to the concrete of the building the below. Butch was able to extricate himself by simply flying away as soon as possible, hurt and wounded, with Buttercup behind him.

He stopped. Buttercup changed and swung her fist. He blocked it with his arms. She kicked. He jumped out of the way. She tried an uppercut. It was again blocked.

* * *

…

He smirked. He never knew until that point that he had learned so much defense by constantly fighting Brick. He learned how to dodge from his fights against Boomer when Boomer had his bat. He learned by his fights with his blond brother how to flee when the youngest ruff chased with his bat.

Buttercup still fought the same way when they last fought, before they knew Ms Keane, before he started to fight his brothers for fun…

It really came in handy in his current fight. Yet it rankled him that he had not landed a single hit on her and she was able to land several on him. Whatever strength advantage that he had on her was gone. They were now at par.

He jumped out of the way of her latest kick.

* * *

…

"Don't be a coward! Fight! You're the toughest ruff! Prove to me that you're the Baron of Berserk!" she shouted as he jumped towards the center on the street.

Brick joined him. Then Boomer jumped to his side.

"Rowdyruff Boys!" Brick shouted. "Defend yourself!"

Now things would really get interesting.

* * *

 _ **108\. Round 1, Blossom vs Brick**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Blossom smirked as her counterpart emerged from the asphalt. He shook off the bits of asphalt from his hair and spat the dirt off his mouth.

"You really did it, Pinkie. _I'm tellin' ya, we're pah-doned by the Mayor and our crimes are erased! You are committin' crimes in beatin' innocent little boys_!" Brick shouted, his voice heard by all the people around and by the cameras watching the scene.

" _Oh so dumb Brick is using big words that he doesn't know the meaning o?_! A boy who can't even spell think that I'm gonna fall for that trick again?" Blossom shouted back, her eyes glowing as she fired laser.

Brick dodged and the laser hit asphalt.

She clapped her hands together, and lighting came forth from her hands and the Rowdyruff barely dodged as he flew high up in the air.

He now sported a huge grin on his face. "So it's a fight ya want, Pinkie? I ain't backin' down!" he stated as he got into a defensive position.

Blossom then charged and swung her arms, aiming her fist to his face, but he blocked it with his arms. She tried a roundhouse kick, but he avoided it by ducking. She tried to punch him, but he deftly blocked it.

"So dumb lil' Brick got some defensive moves, though I doubt you even know the meaning of the word defensive," she sneered as she swung upwards and aimed a well-aimed punch to the back of his head, but Brick turned and was able to tilt his head a little and her fist met air instead. He let himself fall and Blossom gave chase.

" _Stop this right now! I ain't doin' nuttin_!" Brick yelled.

"Would you listen to yourself? I am not a dumb girl that would believe every lie that comes from your mouth!" she shouted back as she formed an energy ball and threw it at the falling Brick. Brick dodged it.

"You think you can dodge this?" Blossom spat, and she moved her arms, and to Brick's surprise, the ball stopped when it was near the pavement. Then it began to follow him.

Brick flew away but Blossom directed the energy ball to follow the redheaded leader. "Run, run, little ruff, but that little energy won't let you go! It'll follow you to the ends of the earth!" she boasted, laughing, as the energy ball chased Brick, who flew faster and faster and went in circles.

Blossom, however, was able to keep up with his movements, and noticed that Brick was suddenly flying towards her.

She knew what he was planning.

She braced herself for the collision. And just as expected, Brick, at the last moment, suddenly flew upwards just before he collided with Blossom. Blossom saw the ball approaching her, but she moved her arms, and the ball followed Brick, not touching a single hair of Blossom.

"That is the oldest trick in the book, Brick! You think I'm going to fall for that?" she shouted.

* * *

…

Brick suddenly stopped. "Try this on for size!" He formed his own energy ball, and threw it at Blossom's ball. The collision produced an explosion that extinguished both their energy balls.

Blossom then appeared besides him, and, with a left cross, she buried her fist on his stomach. "That was just a distraction," she smiled, and he doubled over in pain. "Once more, the dumb ruff fell for such an obvious trick!"

The punch was so hard that he coughed up blood.

He quickly retreated, and again went to a defensive position. Oh he wanted to attack her, but he held back. There was a plan, and he would be a poor leader if he would be the first to deviate from it.

* * *

…

Blossom frowned. She was puzzled. Brick had not attacked yet. Why? Was he planning something? She dismissed the thought. Planning required him to be smart, and he was anything but. Maybe he's afraid to attack?

"What's the matter? Scared? Did a little weak girl like me scare a big boy like you?" she taunted.

"Me, scared of ya?" he spat.

"Why don't you attack me?" she challenged.

"Why? You can't hurt me!" Brick boasted.

"Says he who just coughed up blood because of my punch!"

Brick gritted his teeth. But he stayed put. "You won't win. Even if we lose, we already won."

"From anybody else, I'd say that's philosophical, but from you, I'd chalk it up to you being dumb as usual! You don't even know the meaning of win and lose!" she laughed as she attacked.

He immediately flew away, and Blossom gave chase.

He flew high into the clouds and Blossom followed. The clouds were thick, and he suddenly stopped. Blossom went through the clouds into the sky above, and when she looked around, Brick was nowhere to be seen.

"You think you could hide from me?" she shouted confidently as she turned on her x-ray vision. She easily spotted Brick. She clapped her hands, and lightning shot from it towards where Brick was. He flew upwards, past the clouds, to avoid it.

A nagging feeling that not everything was right begun to gnaw at Blossom. What could go wrong? But she suppressed such feelings. Brick's passivity was really feeding her confidence. Sooner or later, she would find a chink in his defense, and since he was apparently too afraid to attack, victory was assured.

She screamed, and flew right at Brick, then stopped. She breathed deeply, and blew ice at him. He quickly retreated, avoiding being encased in ice.

Still, he did not attack.

Her eyes glowed as she attacked him with laser, but he simply let himself drop like a rock towards the ground.

What was that ruff doing?

Puzzled, she followed him as he fell. He was skydiving! In the middle of a fight! _What gall_! She accelerated as she extended her arms, and flames began to form around her. She suddenly increased her speed, and caught Brick by surprise by the suddenness of her transformation.

She pushed him hard, into the asphalt below. There was an explosion, and Brick, with a bloody lip and his face with a small wound, stood up.

* * *

…

He was hurt. Blossom scored big on that last attack. But he was not worried. Before the fight, he was a little bit stronger than her, as the Rowdyruffs always had a small strength and power advantage over the Powerpuff Girls. The beating he received only made them equal in strength.

Now was the time as he saw Butch standing in the middle of the street.

He jumped besides him, and Boomer did too. When they were together, he shouted. "Rowdyruff Boys! Defend yourself!"

* * *

 _ **109\. Round 1, Boomer v. Bubbles**_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Hey, what did I do?" Boomer shouted as he emerged out of the rubble that Bubbles had tossed him to.

"You know what you did!" Bubbles answered. "And if you're going to pretend that you don't know, then I won't tell."

"Then how am I gonna know what I did?" he asked, puzzled by her logic, as Bubbles attacked him.

* * *

…

Bubbles couldn't help but find his puzzled expression, even as she tried to punch and kick him, cute. She won't deny it. She found him, ever since he got back from the dead, cute.

 _I want the blonde! I think he's cute!_ she remembered saying in front of her sisters.

Too bad he's evil.

And the fact that he's cute won't stop her from teaching him a lesson!

Though so far, she had not landed a single hit after he emerged from the rubble.

"Look at what you did! You made a mess of the town!" she said as her eyes glowed. She shot him but he jumped up and avoided her.

"What? Me! You threw me to that building!" Boomer argued as he flew away. "You destroyed it, not me!"

"Not that, silly!" she said as she formed an energy ball. "The ones before the city! What you did was not nice!"

She threw the white energy ball.

"What we did for the town was great!" Boomer answered as he formed his electric bat and hit the ball, sending it to the sky, where it exploded.

"Well, you're a meanie! And not nice!" Bubbles frowned, and threw another energy ball.

"Well, you're a meanie too! You took me, stole my clothes, made me stand in my underwear, and pretended to be me!" Boomer bitterly replied as he again swung his bat and threw the energy balls into space. "Who's the meanie now?"

"That isn't fair! You're evil! _You stole candy_!" Bubbles argued as she lunged and tried to kick him. Though in truth, Bubbles began to feel a little bit sorry for what had happened. It really was not fair to treat him that way, but he was a villain! He did bad things! Like stealing candy! That made it right, right?

"So that was all for candy? Then you're the meanie! Am I a meanie?" Boomer shot back as he blocked her kick and tilted his head to avoid getting hit by her right fist as she tried to attack. He quickly put some distance between them.

"Yes you are!" the blonde answered as she clapped her hand and lightning was formed.

"Awesome!" he proudly stated as he materialized his bat in front of him, and it absorbed the lightning that Bubbles just formed.

"That is so cool!" Bubbles squealed at what Boomer did. "Do it again!"

"Huh?" he said.

The blonde clapped her hand, and lightning formed, and Boomer intercepted the lighting headed towards him using his electric bat, and absorbed the lightning.

She happily clapped her hands at the demonstration, before she took a deep breathe, and Boomer prepared himself. She shouted her sonic scream, but Boomer was quick. He flew behind Bubbles, away from the sonic voice.

Bubbles was quicker, however, as she turned her head and laser shot forth from her eyes, and hit Boomer.

* * *

…

Boomer got hurt, and fell to the road. The blond cursed himself for being so careless! Being hit was not part of the plan! At least not this early in the current battle! He wanted to hit her, to make her pay for what she's done, but not yet. _Princess Bubbles will be sorry for stealing my clothes! I gonna show her who's better!_

He stood in the asphalt as Bubbles dived in. "You have to do better than that!" he shouted. He jumped out of the way and Bubbles crashed into the street, creating a big hole as Boomer flew to the top of a nearby building. Bubbles emerged, and created a big energy ball. Boomer formed his energy bat, preparing to hit and direct it to the sky.

* * *

…

"Take this, you little bully!" she yelled. She looked at the cute boy, and regretted that he was so bad. If circumstances were different, she felt that she and the blonde Rowdyruff would be close friends. Yes, she liked him even if he was the enemy and even if she felt no compunction about beating him up. Too bad Boomer was not like the mysterious David Jojo. Oh she loved his drawings of buildings. She already liked the artist who drew the beautiful buildings before she even met him!

She threw the giant ball.

He hit the energy ball with his bat and the ball again went harmlessly into the sky.

Her eyes glowed, and she tried to hit him, but he just jumped out the way. Her laser hit the top of the building, destroying it. She chased him, but he retreated.

She chased him through the air and on the streets, Boomer enjoying flying away and running from Bubbles, and Bubbles also enjoying that game of "tag" that Boomer seemed to want to play.

* * *

…

Bubbles smiled as she went through another pathway through the maze of buildings. Suddenly, Boomer found himself flying towards Bubbles. Bubbles smiled as she charged and punched his face, sending the ruff back and crashing through several buildings.

He emerged from the rubble, and Bubbles was on him. "Take that, you big meanie!" she shouted as her fist went for his head. He blocked it. She tried to kick. He again blocked it. She again tried for another punch. He jumped out of the way and flew away from her.

He stood on top of a building waiting for her. She flew up, and stood at the top of a taller building besides Boomer's building, literally looking down on him.

Something was off. Why wasn't he attacking at all?

"Hey, why don't you try to hit me?" Bubbles asked, curious about his purely defensive posture.

"Just to show that you're the one who hit me first!" Boomer shouted, "and nobody could say that I started this fight!" He immediately regretted what he said. He gave the game away! _Stupid Boomer! Guess he really was Dumber than the Dumbest!_

…

* * *

Bubbles gasped as the words struck her. She and her sisters, _**started the fight**_! She looked at Buttercup and Butch, and at Blossom and Brick! Both boys were not fighting back! They were just blocking or running away! Then she saw the people looking around, with look on disbelief in their faces. She could hear the murmurs using her super hearing. Many were blaming the Powerpuff Girls for starting the fight.

"You tricked us!" she accused.

"You attacked us first for no reason!" Boomer smugly declared as he flew away and landed besides his leader. Butch also landed besides Brick.

"Girls! We started this fight! It's a trick!" Bubbles shouted.

It was too late.

Brick shouted, "Rowdyruff Boys! Defend yourself!"

* * *

 _ **110\. Round 2, Buttercup v. Butch**_

"Finally!" Butch exclaimed before he charged at Buttercup. The green puff was puzzled. Was he actually going to attack, or was he merely posturing before going on the defensive?

His fist connected with her jaw in an uppercut, answering her question. Her head snapped back, but before she could recover, his hand punched her in the stomach with a right hook, making her double over. He grabbed her hand and slammed her to the ground.

"So, little Butchie decided to fight!" Buttercup taunted as she emerged from the rubble. She screamed and attacked, flying towards the green ruff. Butch screamed too and flew toward the green puff.

Buttercup got the first hit, and planted her fist into his cheek. But that did not slow down the Baron of Berserk as he gave an uppercut that snapped the toughest fighter's head back.

She did not pause to consider the pain as she spun around and gave a powerful kick to his temple. He did not even bother to block, shrugging off the pain, as he clamped his hands together and slammed her head with it.

Her eyes glowed, and she prepared to zap him. Butch smirked. Laser poured forth from her eyes. At the last moment, his shield was up, and the laser dissipated harmlessly.

His own eyes glowed, and Buttercup was not able to get away. She was zapped, and screamed in pain.

The laser stopped. But there was no relief as Butch appeared above her. He kicked her on the top of her head, sending her to the ground.

It was painful, but Buttercup had enough strength to go on. She almost wished Butch was still on the defensive. Almost.

* * *

…

She shot into the air and slammed her head into Butch's tummy, and he doubled over in pain. Buttercup was tough, and her punches really hurt! Still, he could tell that his own hits were giving his counterpart intense pain too.

They were even. Too even.

He smirked. At least he was going to have a good fight. His fights with Boomer were too short—either he would slaughter Boomer before he could create his bat, or he would be smashed by that bat of his or get electrocuted. It's not fair that Boomer get to have an electric bat while he, the toughest ruff, had no such thing.

On the other hand, fighting with Brick was an exercise of frustration. Brick was too tactical and rarely got hit. It was very difficult for the Baron of Berserk to beat Brick as a result.

Fighting with Buttercup was different. It was the closest thing to a pure fight. It was ironic to find it in a girl he despised, instead of his own brothers.

He grinned as he got excited. This was so much fun! Even if Buttercup was a girl, even if he utterly despised her, but perhaps, because of those very facts, this was his most fun fight yet.

He launched himself at Buttercup, who also attacked him.

"Take this!" Butch shouted, and reverted to his comic book moves. "BLAM!" he shouted as he kicked her on the stomach.

"That is so lame!" Buttercup retorted as she gasped in pain before using a right hook to punch his jaw.

"No it's not! It's the coolest thing!" Butch retorted, then shouted, "KA POW!" as Butch spun and delivered a roundhouse kick that hit her head.

Her head was now bleeding, and her body was in pain. Butch was in the same situation, with blood dripping into his face from a gash in his head. He lunged in, and hit Buttercup in the tummy with a right cross. "WHAM!" he shouted as his fist buried itself on her stomach.

" _Will you stop with that!"_ Buttercup, irritated, shouted as she kneed him in the stomach. "You sound like an idiot with those comic book sounds!"

Butch's eyes glowed, and red laser was shot from his eyes, hitting her point blank. She screamed, and in response, she clapped her hands. Lightning bolts were fired from her hands, hitting Butch and electrocuting him. He screamed as pain filled his body. It was like being zapped by Boomer's electric bat.

Butch then flew at her, and Buttercup flew at him too. He jabbed her to the cheek. She punched back and hit his ribs with a bolo punch. He gave an uppercut that hit her jaw. She spun and kicked him on the right temple. He then gave her a heatbutt. Hurt, she heatbutted back, so both were in a lot of pain when they disengaged.

"Give up, Butters!" Butch shouted hoarsely, his body twitching in excitement even as his dark green shirt was stained with blood, his face dirty with dirt mixed with blood, his head wounded, and his entire body in pain. He had lost nearly half of his energy.

* * *

…

"Buttercup never gives up!" Buttercup, speaking in the third person. "You should give up!" Yet she herself was weak, blood trickling from her hair to her body, her face more black than before as it was covered with dirt, her whole body was aching as she had lost half her power and strength. She was breathing heavily. "And you're lame for saying those things."

"What things?"

"BLAM! WHAM! KERSPLAT! Ha, that is the height of lameness!"

"That ain't lame! That's cool! That's the sound super villains and super heroes make when they kick ass!" he retorted.

"It's still lame!"

By an unspoken but mutual agreement, both refrained from action for the meantime, to enable each to recover and to gather their strength. Both were too exhausted to fight. Not even the battle hungry Buttercup and Butch could fight continuously without rest, especially against each other.

"Don't call me that!"

"Don't call you what?"

"Butters?"

"And if I do?"

"I'm gonna beat you up!"

"You're not gonna beat me up! I am gonna beat you up!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

* * *

…

Buttercup looked at her opponent, exasperated that he was still not defeated. She wracked her brains for something, something which could give some edge to her. After all, Blossom was always telling them that they should never worry about the Rowdyruff Boys, as they were stupid and that the girls could easily outsmart them in battle, no matter how strong the boys were.

"Hey you, you're a sissy! You like flowers and wear dresses!" she shouted, remembering the time that they shrunk due to threatening their masculinity.

"That's Boomer, not me!" Butch shouted back, not taking the bait.

Buttercup gritted her teeth, excited despite the stalemate. In truth, a good fight excited her, and nobody ever gave her a good fight except the Rowdyruff Boys. Her own sisters were too prim and proper to actually fight her, even in training! And the simulations of the Professor were poor substitutes for real fights. So she really looked forward to fights with the Rowdyruffs, for they always give a great challenge, but they were not bright enough to actually win. Blossom should think of a way to once again defeat the stupid and dumb Rowdyruff Boys.

Fighting Butch was certainly so much fun! She wished she could do that every day. Too bad they became cowards and hid for months at a time.

* * *

…

Butch looked at her, excited too. He knew he was going to win. The numerous fights he had with Boomer and Brick made him smarter. If only he did not let the excitement of battle go into his head! That always clouded his judgment. He wanted to pummel Buttercup, but it was hard. She gave as good as she got. Her fighting style was too different from Brick's or Boomer's to actually give Butch much advantage.

But there was the plan. _The fighting plan of Brick_. He already had his fill of excitement, and now, he wished to show Buttercup the real situation.

Brick, also exhausted, flew besides him. Boomer joined them too, covered with wounds and also weak. Blossom and Bubbles joined Buttercup, both as damaged as the black-haired puff.

"Give up, Rowdyruff Boys!" Blossom shouted.

"Let's end this!" Brick proclaimed, and all three boys shouted as they renewed their attack.

* * *

 _ **111\. Round 2, Blossom v. Brick**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Blossom looked at the three boys standing by each other. Her sisters were besides her.

"What do you mean it's a trick?" Blossom asked but before Bubbles could reply, Brick charged, and to her surprise, she felt a powerful punch upon her jaw, and she fell to the asphalt below.

"So the dog has teeth," she replied as she stood up and dusted herself.

Brick dove, aiming to hit her. Blossom's eyes glowed, and fired at Brick, but he dodged and fired his own eye beam. Blossom avoided it, jumping out of the way, before leaping after him, closing the gap between them. Brick flew higher to avoid her, but she caught up, and tried to punch him in the head. He was able to block it, and counterpunched, hitting her in the face with a left hook.

Hurt, she retreated a bit. Brick followed, forming an energy ball which he threw at the puff leader. She was not able to avoid it, and there was an explosion.

Blossom emerged from the smoke with little tatters on her bow, and soot on her face and dress. "I'm so glad you stopped playing possum," she said as she formed her own ball and threw it at Brick. Brick managed to avoid it, but it was a distraction, as Blossom suddenly appeared above him after he dodged the energy ball. She swung her right leg in a roundhouse kick that smashed into his stomach, and he doubled over in pain.

Gritting his teeth, he caught her kicking leg, spun her around, and slammed her into the road below. He pulled her, intending to spin her round again, but she caught his foot, pulled it, and he fell to the ground.

Blossom then zapped him with her laser eyes, then kicked him in the stomach. She threw him into the air, formed an energy ball, threw it at the leader of the Rowdyruffs. Brick, however, manage to stop his ascent, and was able to just dodge the ball.

Blossom went after him, but she was stopped when, inches away from reaching him, he hit her point blank with his laser beam. He grabbed her long hair, and used it to spin her around, eliciting a scream of pain from the puff leader, and threw her higher in the air.

He flew as fast as possible, his hands outstretched, and caught her by the back just as she slowed her ascent, and she screamed in pain as the impact nearly broke her back.

She was able to flip herself and deliver a kick on the jaw of Brick before Brick could do anything else. She kicked him again on the stomach then again on the face in a succession of kicks, then, tired and nearly exhausted, let herself fall to the ground.

Brick, tired and hurt, let himself fall too.

They landed on the ground at the same time. Blossom needed to think of new strategies to beat him. They were too equal in power and strength for conventional techniques to work. Time to try some of her special techniques.

"Copycat!" she shouted, and duplicates of her began to appear.

"You think that's gonna scare me? Two can play that game!" he retorted. "Divide!"

* * *

…

Brick began to duplicate himself, just like Blossom did. He had discovered the technique during his fights with Butch. Though his strength would be divided too, so it's not a full proof technique and could lead to defeat if he was not careful.

Blossom and her duplicates shouted and all of them attacked Brick and his duplicates. A battle royale occurred. It was confused and chaotic, and ended with all the duplicates getting absorbed back into the original ruff and puff. Both were even more drained of energy as a result. All the damage done to each of the duplicates damaged the original ruff and puff too.

* * *

…

The pink puff flew to the air, smirked before clapping her hands together. Lightning poured forth from her hands, but he easily avoided it by flying into the air and going behind Blossom. He, when he was very close to his counterpart, before she could react, clapped his hands, and fired lightning bolts, hitting her. She was electrocuted, but was able to escape before being damaged too much.

She then smirked. She attacked Brick, moving as if she was about to punch him, and he prepared his defenses accordingly. She suddenly stopped in front of him, and suddenly blew.

* * *

…

Brick felt cold. He was covered in ice. He felt stupid for falling for her ice breathe, Blossom's special power. He fell, rigid and shivering, to the ground. He used his powers to warm himself. He returned to normal, but the effort cost more energy. He was feeling very weak.

But then so was Blossom. They were still equal.

* * *

…

They stood on the roofs of one of the buildings, standing still, catching their breaths and recovering from the beating that they gave each other.

Blossom was irritated. She was smarter than him. Brick was stupid who can't even spell right. So how come she cannot think of a way to end this fight? Her two sisters were too busy with their counterparts for them to do any team attacks. Her tactics were countered by Brick, as his tactics were countered by her. Perhaps they really were counterparts, two of a kind, except that one was a boy and the other a girl, one was evil and the other good, and one was stupid while the other was smart.

She knew that she had lost a lot of power and strength. She was about half-strength. Fortunately, in all probability, so was Brick.

She told herself, _You're better than this, Blossom! You're better than him. You're smarter, and you fight for good. You can do it!_

"You really think you could get away with beating us up while we're weak?" she said in weak tone.

"Yes," he proudly replied.

"Nothing more to say, Brick?" she mocked. "Then again, you better keep your mouth shut. Your stupidity is painful to hear."

"Really?"

"Yes. You got lucky last time. You caught us in a bad time, just after we fought a tough battle to save the city!"

"Maybe so," he said.

"You attacked us unfairly, and pretended to be pardoned! We believed you!" Blossom accused. "You were _treacherous_! Though I don't expect you to know the meaning of _that_ word."

* * *

…

Brick gritted his teeth at her insults to his intellect. But he knew better than to correct her misconception. It was a tremendous advantage. She'll keep underestimating him.

"You beat us up after offering your hands," she spat. "What you did is the worst crime you could commit! You lied, and took advantage of our trusting nature!"

"More like your stupid nature," he retorted. "You're just gullible. You shouldn't always take your mortal enemies' word that they'd turn over a new leaf."

Blossom gritted her teeth in anger. "Perhaps we were dumb. But we offered to accept you into society, yet you showed the vilest treachery! And you had the gall to repeat the very same trick this morning!"

"Well, we were pardoned by the mayor, _for real_! If you don't believe us, just _buy a copy of the Townsville Tribune_ ," he said cheekily.

"Yeah, right! You're too stupid to think that we wouldn't fall for the same trick twice," she charged, pointing her hand at him.

"Maybe we are too stupid for our own good," he grinned. He looked down from the top of the building and saw Buttercup and Butch standing on the streets, talking and staring at each other.

It was time to end it before things got out of hand. He already had lost about half his power and energy. It would ruin his plans for revenge if he actually _lost_ that fight. He would never have an opportunity like this again.

He jumped from the roof, and he landed besides his brother. Boomer joined them.

Blossom joined Buttercup, and Bubbles joined them.

"Give up, Rowdyruff Boys!" Blossom shouted.

"Let's end this!" Brick proclaimed, and all three boys shouted as they renewed their attack.

* * *

 _ **112\. Round 2, Bubbles v. Boomer**_

 _Meanwhile_ …

"Girls! We started this fight! It's a trick!" Bubbles shouted.

It was too late.

Brick shouted, "Rowdyruff Boys! Defend yourself!"

Bubbles was surprised when Boomer appeared before her, and punched her hard in the stomach. She doubled up in pain, as she felt him kick her at the back of the head, sending her crashing down to earth.

So they stopped being timid.

She emerged from the rubble, Boomer diving after her.

She waited.

When he was very close, she opened her mouth and a very loud high pitched sound was heard. It was her sonic scream, and Boomer covered his ears as he was tossed away.

* * *

…

When he regained his bearings high above the city, he saw a large energy ball heading his way. He didn't have time to avoid it, or to do anything else. He was hit, and there was a large explosion.

He was hurt, and looking down, he saw Bubbles coming after him. He flew higher, trying to recover before actually fighting. Bubbles chased after him.

Boomer flew in circles and twists above the city, letting Bubbles chase after him. Boomer was the fastest of the Rowdyruffs, and he could easily outfly and outrun his brothers. But Bubbles was his counterpart, and she was fastest among the Powerpuffs.

He found out, to his amusement, that she actually kept up. She had a huge grin on her face, her big blue eyes showing that she was actually having fun!

* * *

…

"So you can fly fast!" he shouted, laughing.

"You can fly fast too!" Bubbles complimented as they dove towards the city.

"See if you can do this!" Boomer shouted as he began to fly among the high buildings and on the streets, constantly dodging buildings and people. It was fun, exhilarating. He checked if Bubbles was still behind him.

She was _still_ behind him, and she had a big grin on her face.

"Are we playing tag?" she asked as he flew up a building.

"Maybe," he shouted as an energy ball began forming on his hand.

"Oh I like playing tag!" Bubbles said as she chased him up towards the sky. "It was one of the first fun things we've learned!"

The ball began to grow big, but Bubbles did not notice. Boomer then closed his eyes and flew towards the sun.

* * *

…

Bubbles followed, but the glare of the sun became too much, and she closed her eyes, but fearful of losing her quarry, kept flying in the same direction.

Boomer halted and turned around, with the blonde puff blindly charging forward. "Do you like to play catch too!" he shouted, smiling.

"Yeah Boomie! That's fun too!"

Did she just call him Boomie?

"Then catch this!" He smirked and threw the energy ball, and there was a large explosion.

She was hurt by it. She was not able to brace herself. She had no idea that it was coming since she had closed her eyes. She fell to the city. And it was only when she reached the top of the buildings was she able to halt her descent.

She looked at Boomer, and once again, he was standing with his back behind the sun, and she had to squint her eyes.

Was that laser coming towards her? She jumped, and it just missed hitting her. Boomer descended towards her level, and once again, his eyes glowed and shot her.

She also used her eye beam, and the two beams collided with each other.

The two blonds used all their power to push their energy beams against the other's energy beam, but they were too evenly matched, and at the last moment, both broke off the contact.

Bubbles spun around like a tornado. Boomer was caught off guard, and he got hit, sending him to the streets below. Bubbles followed, clapping her hand, and lightning shot from her hands, hitting the blond boy. He fell to the ground.

…

* * *

Boomer emerged from rubble. He was very hurt. Things were not going according to plan. Bubbles was clearly stronger at that point, as he lost had too much energy. He really shouldn't have fooled around, "playing" with Bubbles, no matter how much fun it was.

Bubbles decided to charge him, preparing to punch and kick him like any other villain.

Boomer smirked.

He waited. He needed to time things perfectly.

He waited until Bubbles was very close, then formed his electric bat, and swung.

It hit Bubbles, as she was charging forward, at the crown of her head, and she was tossed to the opposite direction.

When she emerged, her yellow hair was stained with red, and she was a bit dizzy as blood dripped across her face. Boomer was upon her, and he made two powerful hits on the stomach and her back.

It seemed as it Bubbles was going to fall, but she was able to muster her remaining strength and jumped away. The hits from his bat caused considerable damage, but since Boomer had lost about half his strength when he formed his bat, the bat was not as strong as it could be, and the damage only reduced Bubbles' strength and power so that the two were once again, equal, if weaker than before.

* * *

Both were standing on tops of buildings, panting, sweating, their whole bodies aching.

Bubbles was still hurting from being hit by the bat. She looked at her counterpart. He was just as weak and hurt and bloodied as she was. There was a big gash on his forehead, and blood was trickling down from it. She almost felt sorry for him.

She almost wanted to go and bind his wounds, kiss him and tell him that the pain was going to go away. He was _that_ cute. Even bloody and beaten, he was cute.

She had kissed him before. The first time, he exploded, and the next couple of times, he had grown bigger, but also provided for the occasion to beat them by belittling their masculinity.

Would kissing him again work?

Having nothing to lose, she charged. She raised her hands as if she would hit him, and he blocked, with them face to face.

She then kissed him on the cheek.

He was dazed and had a dumbstruck look on his face as she jumped back, giggling. She waited for something to happen. Hopefully, it would give her an edge in their current battle.

Nothing happened.

If Boomer was any older, he would be feeling very differently, but he was a six-year-old boy who thought girls had cooties!

"Eew! Keep your girly cooties to yourself," he said, and if the blood and dirt didn't hide the fact, she would have noticed that he was blushing. She giggled a bit. If Boomer wasn't the enemy… Maybe they could become close friends.

But he is the enemy, so…

He jumped away, into the streets below, joining both his brothers.

She saw her sisters standing side by side. She joined them.

"Give up, Rowdyruff Boys!" Blossom shouted.

"Let's end this!" Brick proclaimed, and all three boys shouted as they renewed their attack.

* * *

 _ **113\. Round 3, Bubbles and Buttercup**_

Bubbles braced herself and prepared for another attack by Boomer.

Only the boys changed targets. It was Butch who attacked her.

His first punch to her jaw was sickeningly hard, and she was thrown back. Instead of giving her time or taking things easy, like Boomer would do, he was immediately upon her, and gave a hard kick on her stomach, then another on her head, then another punch to her face, then a headbutt, and then she was tossed in the air.

Bubbles was able to halt her upward ascent, and prepared a giant ball as Butch flew after her. She threw it at him, but he formed his shield, and her attack had no effect. He was upon her again, and gave another punch to her gut, and she doubled over in pain.

Butch's punches, kicks and other physical attacks were much stronger than his brothers, and since Bubbles was physically the weakest, the effects were disproportionately felt by the blonde puff. She needed to get her bearings and to recover a bit. She decided to fly away, but Butch's initial attacks so weakened her and left her aching all over that she could not fly very fast at all, and Butch was easily able to catch her. He grabbed her, and spun her around and tossed her towards the city.

She crashed among the buildings, but before she could emerge from the rubble, the green ruff was on her, grabbing her head and giving her a headbutt, making her feel very dizzy. He grabbed her head, and slammed it against the street below, and against buildings. It didn't hurt much, but it still hurt, and his continuous attacks left her no chance to recover. She fought best at a distance and at a slow pace, and Butch's hyper-aggressive style was kryptonite to her. She had not Buttercup's physical toughness nor her ability to strike while being hit. She was hurting and was being struck without let-up.

She screamed at him and he was tossed away by her sonic scream. But it was too little. Her energy was so low that it didn't damage Butch much. He was back, and he threw an energy ball at her, and she dodged, jumping, realizing too late that she jumped to Butch's waiting arms.

He grabbed her from behind in a tight bearhug. Bubbles struggled as he squeezed the life out of her. He was too strong. She then was struck at the back of her head with a powerful laser from his eyes, and she screamed as pain engulfed her body.

She tried to collect her thoughts. It was clear that she was equally matched with Boomer both in strength and technique. But against Butch, it was a mismatch. Her style was tailor-made for someone like Butch, or Buttercup for that matter. She tried to think of a way, but she had no time to think as she was grabbed and punched on the stomach. She fell to the ground.

"Stop it!" Bubbles pleaded in a weak voice.

"You started it! You attacked us first!" Butch replied as he gave a kick to her stomach, and she was tossed to the air. He gave another kick, and she was sent flying even higher. "And I'm gonna finish it!"

He flew after her, and his head collided with her as she stopped her ascent.

She could take no more. She only hoped that they would not kill her. And that they would not harm Townsville.

Butch gave a powerful roundhouse kick on her temple, and she drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Buttercup welcomed more attacks from Butch. Battling him gave her a thrill, and she wanted to fight and prove herself the strongest and the toughest.

But it was Brick that attacked her. He punched her hard on the head.

"Hey, you're not Butch!" she shouted as she fell to the ground.

"I'm not?" Brick mocked. "I thought I was Butch!"

Buttercup gritted her teeth and attacked Brick. Leader boy would pay for his insolence.

"I'm gonna shut your mouth," she screamed, as she lunged in and aimed a punch at his grinning face.

He shifted his head slight to the left, and her fist hit air, and as the momentum carried her forward, he punched her in the back of her neck, then spun around and gave a kick to the back, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Give up! You're too weak!" Brick mocked.

"I am the toughest puff!" she growled, and she attacked once more, aiming a kick on the ruff.

But she was not able to land the kick, as he simply retreated a little, and she missed. Her attack was repaid when Brick shot her with a powerful laser beam.

"Keep still, will ya!" she shouted, as she swung her fist, and Brick blocked it with his left, but at the same time, swung his leg and spun around kicked him at the back of her head.

Stung by the hit, she then turned around and tried to hit the smirk off his face, but he was able to block it with his fist, then zap her with beams from his eyes. He then jumped upwards, formed an energy ball, and hit her as she followed him.

The green puff was getting frustrated. Unlike with her fight with Butch, she was not able to land a single hit on Brick while she herself was effortlessly struck many times as she tried. Her ultra-aggressive style was not working against the Bludgeoner.

Growling, she charged, her fist extended, hoping to catch him by surprise, but he seemed to have anticipated her move and caught her hand, and swung her around, and tossed her to the air. He clapped his hand, and lighting bolts streamed forth and hit the spinning Buttercup in the air.

Buttercup gritted her teeth as she stared at Brick. He was wounded and dirty, but all those came from his fight with Blossom. Buttercup had not landed a single hit on Brick, while Brick was able to land several counterpunches.

Maybe she was not trying hard enough. She should try harder. She knew that was probably foolish, but what else could she do? Her entire being, her entire purpose, was to be the toughest, to be the most aggressive, to attack with abandon. To attack and destroy without thinking. To impose her strength and will on her hapless opponents.

That didn't work against Blossom, but who else could be as strong and as fast as her and as smart too?

She had her answer.

Her body burst into green flame, and charged at Brick. He stood there, and prepared to block it.

 _Fool! This attack is so hard I'm gonna go through you no matter how well you block it! This is the end, leader boy! You're no fun to fight!_

She accelerated, intending to put all her energy into one hit.

She smiled as she approached Brick. He will pay for his smugness.

Then he stepped a little further to the left, and her momentum meant that she cannot change directions quickly enough. She flew past him, and headed towards the city.

* * *

…

Brick smirked. She was just as predictable as Butch was. He formed an energy ball and threw it at Buttercup. It collided with her, and when it mixed with the green flames on the green puff, it exploded just above the streets.

* * *

…

Buttercup was angry even as her entire body ached even more. She had lost so much power and strength in her fight against Brick, and he was hardly scratched at all.

She formed an energy ball and threw it at the ruff in the sky. He easily dodged it and sent an energy ball of his own towards her. She kicked it aside.

But it was a ruse. Brick went besides her, and kicked her in the tummy, and to her surprise, it hurt a lot. She was way weaker than Brick at that point in time as she was 'softened' up by her earlier useless and counterproductive attacks on him.

She gritted her teeth to keep the pain from overwhelming her, as she tried to kick him, but he easily caught her foot, and twisted her so that she was on the ground on her stomach, and he bent her foot. She screamed as pain seared through her body. It only ended when he threw her in the air and gave her a well-placed punch on the head, causing her to become dizzy.

Brick was on her, attacking from the sides, and from behind, dealing stinging blows that sent her to her knees. He never attacked from the front, and that limited her options.

Her eyes glowed, and she tried to use her laser on Brick, but Brick, once again dodged, landed behind her, and zapped her with his own laser.

"Buttercup, Buttercup, Buttercup," said Brick with condescension, "we both know that you cannot win this fight. Give up!"

"Me, give up? To the likes of you? Never!" she shouted defiantly.

"I'm so glad you said that!" he said, smirking, as he kicked her in the jaw, snapping her head upwards, and gave a punch to her tummy once more.

Battered and broken, she still tried to hit him. She was already very weak in comparison to Brick, but if she would go down, she would go down swinging. She still had her pride, after all, and who knows? Maybe she'll get lucky and he'll go down from that strike.

She swung her right hand into hook aiming for his jaw, but he just jumped back, and she hit air. Before she could do anything else, the King of Crushing hit her with a powerful laser. She screamed.

Gathering what remained of her strength, she lunged at Brick, aiming to land a blow, somewhere, somehow. Brick was so close, yet so elusive. He would seemingly be hit, yet at the last moment, he would block or dodge, and he would hit her back for her pains.

"Give up, Buttercup," he said in a calm voice. "This is your last chance!"

"I do not give up! The Powerpuff Girls never give up!" she shouted as she spat blood on the ground. She was very weak, and knew that she already lost. But she still had her self-respect.

"You disappoint me. Toughest puff indeed! You can't even land a blow on me!" he sneered, his bloody face having a sadistic look upon it, his blood-red eyes mocking her. "Give up!"

"Bite me!" she snapped back.

He suddenly appeared right in front of her, and before she could do anything, he gave a powerful punch on her face.

All her energy deserted her and she went to sleep.

* * *

 _ **114\. Round 3, Blossom's Fight**_

Blossom was surprised when it was the blue-eyed ruff who attacked her, punching her in the jaw and kicking her head, causing her to fall. She was able to catch herself before she landed on the ground.

She went into a defensive position, waiting for him to attack, and counterattacking when he did so.

However, contrary to her expectations, Boomer… just stood there, as if he was waiting for her to attack. "Hey, sissy! Come hit me!"

Was he planning something? She dismissed the thought. He was too dim to be able to plan, but maybe he had a trick up his sleeve. Sensing a trap, she proceeded cautiously. She formed an energy ball, and threw it to the blond. He jumped to avoid it, and threw his own energy ball.

Blossom jumped too, then went after Boomer. She stopped when she was nearer. Her pink eyes glowed, and shot him with laser.

Boomer was able to dodge, and retreated further, higher into the sky, and Blossom cautiously followed.

Boomer then dove towards the city, and Blossom moved to intercept him. He changed directions at the last moment, and flew away. Blossom just missed him. She quickly changed directions, and chased him.

* * *

…

Boomer was way faster than Blossom, and she was never able to even come close to catching him.

"Too slow, Pink Eyes?" he taunted as he flew backwards, mocking her speed. He formed energy balls and threw it at her, but she was able to deftly avoid most of it.

He turned towards the city, with Blossom at his heels. He flew through the maze and zigzags of the streets. He was enjoying the chase so much.

Then, as he turned on a street around a building, Blossom was suddenly in front of him, and she was able to kick him, sending him crashing into a nearby skyscraper.

He stayed inside the building, waiting, and soon enough, Blossom crashed through the windows.

"Where are you, Boomer?" she shouted. "Come out! Come out, wherever you are!"

He kept quiet.

* * *

…

She walked on the floor, her pink eyes scanning every corner of the building, but found nothing.

"Are you a coward? Come and fight like a Rowdyruff," she shouted.

There was no response.

She activated her x-ray vision, and spotted him, hiding in a closet.

Her eyes glowed, but before she could fire it, he broke out and rushed to the window.

Again, Blossom gave chase.

He floated in the air, and went to a defensive position. She was a bit irritated, as the chase and the hunting of Boomer consumed too much time. She flew at him, fully expecting him to bolt and retreat and waste even more time.

Instead, he did not move from his spot. His bat materialized, and hit her in the head as she dove in, catching the pink puff completely by surprise.

It hurt really bad and made her a little dizzy, as Boomer again hit her as she tried to regain her bearings, and she fell to the ground. Boomer chased after her, but she simply went into a nearby building and avoided him. Boomer stopped and tried looking for her, with his bat in his hand.

Blossom used the time to recover even as blood from the wound caused by the bat trickled. His bat was deadly. It was a mistake to just attack him.

"Where are you? Is Leader girl scared of lil' ole Boom?" he shouted, bat in hand, as he entered the building in the same floor he was.

She kept still, until he walked past her, and she used all her strength into crashing into his back, catching him off guard. The bat disappeared, and they crashed against the windows, and fell to the ground.

Boomer was hurt. Blossom's attack nearly broke his back, and thus, Blossom was able to maneuver him so that he was the one who landed on the asphalt street below.

Blossom knew that she couldn't allow him to catch his breath, and so she picked him up and tossed him to the sky, and shot him with laser.

He screamed.

She smiled. After God knows how long, things were finally going her way.

She charged and him in the head, and punched him repeatedly in the stomach, causing him to cough blood.

She was finally winning! Good and right will prevail once more!

Then she was hit from behind, and she fell to the ground.

When she picked herself up, and looked up, she turned white. It was Butch, and he was carrying an unconscious Bubbles on his shoulder.

"You did well against Boom," she heard a low voice say, and turned to her left. It was Brick, and Buttercup was on his shoulder, unconscious. "Too bad you took too long."

Butch laid Bubbles on top of a building. Brick tossed Buttercup to him and the green-eyed ruff caught her, and laid her besides Bubbles.

Now Blossom was desperate. She was now fighting two against one, a fight that she would lose.

Brick suddenly attacked, but Blossom retreated a bit. He tried to punch her, but Blossom blocked his left fist. She tried to counterpunch, attempting an uppercut with her left hand, but he pulled back a bit to avoid getting hit. Then she was hit from behind by Butch's kick, throwing her towards Brick, who kicked her and tossed her higher in the air.

Blossom stopped her ascent as she looked down on both Brick and Butch. This was not good. The fight was lost. She needed to retreat, but she needed to grab both her sisters. Before she could do anything, she was struck from behind by a powerful laser ball. It was Boomer's. It didn't hurt as much, but it distracted her. Her attention was on Boomer, who formed another energy ball.

She was now fighting alone against three.

Strong hands grabbed her from behind in a bearhug. It was Butch.

"Let go of me, you brute!" she shouted.

"Shut up, Pink Eyes," the Baron of Berserk snapped as she struggled against his grip.

Brick appeared in front of her and gave her a very strong punch on her stomach. It knocked the wind out of her and weakened her. He punched her again on the face and gave a kick on the helpless Blossom. Blossom tried to do something, anything, but with Butch's iron grip, her hands pinned to her side, she was helpless.

She tried to use her laser eyes, but it was easy to avoid when she could not even turn her body.

Brick again went in front of her, and repeatedly struck her, in the head, in the face, in the stomach, and she grew weak from his relentless assault.

"Give up, Pinkie?" Brick asked in a low cold voice.

"Never!" Blossom croaked. She knew she was beaten, but she would never give in.

"Tough words," he dryly said as Butch tossed her into the air.

She was glad that his iron grip was loosened, not that it could help her much, weak as she was. Her sole hope was to grab her sisters and retreat to the Professor's lab. They could fight again another day.

She stared at both Brick and Butch, trying to formulate a plan to rescue her sisters.

Then she hit by a powerful punch from behind. It was Boomer.

"Finish her off, Boom!" Brick instructed.

The blond grinned as he punched her. She was very slow by now and she could not avoid getting hit on the face. And she did not even notice the next move. Boomer executed a roundhouse kick that struck her on the right temple, and caused her to finally collapse into unconsciousness, the final thing she heard a was a low chuckle. "Nighty night, Blossom."

* * *

End of chapter 11.

Credit should go to Cap'n Chryssalid and his story, _Gauntlet: Crucible_ for the tactics of the battle.

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **Insanityisablessedgift,**

 _Woah, this is a really good chap! I love the characterization (literally every personality is on point) and I love how you reference episodes and correlate it to your story. It shows how much thought and well-researched your story is._

Thank you. I really want to use as much characters from the show as possible, and this time, to use as little of original characters, so that readers could relate to them more.

 _Questions! Maybe I'm just an eager little shit, but when are the Rowdyruffs and Powerpuffs gonna be friends, or at least the beginning of friendly interaction with each other? Are we near that part of the story? As well do you intend to have an over-arching plot or villain they might have to face (and in turn the two groups team up to defeat a common enemy?)_

Oh they would be friends, but not now. Too much has happened. My aim is to get to a point where it is possible for them to be friend and allies, but we have to get to that point first, without drastically altering their personalities.

 _AS WELL... do you intend to do romance in this? It's not mandatory to get them together as official couples, but a sprinkle here of suggested feelings and crushes would totally suffice. (But then again, they're not even friends in this point of the story, so I'm presuming MUCH later on if that's your intention...)_

 _Happy Writing!_

In this specific tale? No. But I do eventually plan to ship them, color coded. As for suggested feelings, yes, there was Bubbles feelings for Boomer in this chapter, which was already existing during the show itself. Of call the couples, this one would be the easiest to image happening first.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** ,

 _Can't wait to read the fight :o_

 _I wonder what mrs. Keane's reaction will be_

Thanks. Regrettably, you'll have to read the next chapter on her reaction, with both her students at each other's throats!

* * *

To **Nexus258** ,

 _"Those boys will pay! They'll learn not to toy with the Powerpuff girls!"_

 _Yeah I don't think they're gonna become friends anytime soon, unlike what most people think. See that's the biggest struggle when you try to make friends with the enemy. Also I have a feeling Ms. Keane might flip out seeing this, but she stills need to keep a low profile if the powerpuffs might become suspicious. But that's just my thoughts. Awesome job._

Thanks. Yeah, they're not in the least friendly, and they're enemies. It would take much more for them to become friends. They should begin by ceasing to be enemies, but even that would be a struggle with their personalities. Hopefully, this tale could chart that struggle.

As for Ms Keane, yeah, the Powerpuff Girls might become suspicious, but they're still too trusting of their teacher to really suspect her.

* * *

To **AuroruaX7** ,

 _There are the segments that hint a sign of friendship between the Rowdyruffs' and Powerpuffs' but judging by their physical interactions, they're not even close to becoming real friends. Not in a few years either._

The biggest segment I think would be the letters between Brick and Blossom, but of course, Blossom does know Kenneth was Brick, and Brick was not interesting in telling her either, as the letters would be too valuable as a source of information.

 _The boys are getting so clever, and it's good to see they're getting a lot smarter. They're being so manipulative towards Ms. Keane, The Mayor, and the citizens, it's just so funny._

Oh yeah. They're getting smarter, but they're not becoming good, so they use their intelligence to further their own ends.

 _This was honestly an amazing chapter, and it's good to see you have good update times. The fact that you left it on that kind of cliffhanger has been ripping me apart all week, constantly checking if another chapter had been released._

 _Overall, you did a good job on this one! See you next update! :D_

 _\- Aurorua (I'm keeping this name)_

Thanks. There are more cliffhangers on the way!

* * *

To **Hinate** ,

 _Reds Forever..._

 _this is my second time reading this chap... but man this fig really is going amazing... seems last time I was too tired n forgot to review... anyways really waiting for next chapter._

 _.. man can't wait..._

Reds forever! They are my favorite couple, after all! Thanks for the review!

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _Yeah, I'm starting to notice that Blossom is being led amiss by her preconception of the rowdyruff boys intelligence. Brick is a genius when it comes to being evil! If it ever does come to pass, I would love to see how he rules the world, but I predict that as they age they will become more of anti-hero's than evil villains. They are learning that there is more to life than just causing distraction and misery. This is absolutely fabulous! I am excited for the next chapter and the aftermath of the fight!_

That would be the biggest weakness of Blossom. Without that preconception, she would have figured out who the students of Ms Keane really, who are the Ghosts of Townsville Library, and would not underestimate the boys in fights.

I'm planning in the far future of writing the age of Brick's world domination, but it's far to the future! And yeah, they'll tone down their evil, and even become "good" as they become the mask, from years of "pretending". After all, he'll learn that once you achieve becoming ruler, it's not in his interest to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. An Ms Keane would be an influence on how he will rule. Blossom too, but that's another story.

* * *

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _And the fight starts! I wonder who would win!_

 _Pretty smart of the boys, to set things up so it would look that the girls would be to blame for the fight._

 _Impressive how things progressed with the boys. Would they finally have their revenge? And would the girls see through their act?_

Who would win? This chapter answers that. And yeah, the boys did smart things to set things up in their favor. And the boys kinda had their revenge. As for the girls? It would depend on how Blossom could overcome her preconception of the boys' intelligence.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _Another great chapter!_

Thank you very much.


	12. III-The Aftermath

**An Education For Power**

The Rowdyruffs studied to gain smarts, and now, thanks to Ms Keane, they got the smarts and brains they craved for. Now it was time for Vengeance. Chapter 12. The Rowdyruff Boys are victorious and are celebrating their win! The Powerpuff Girls were confused and disappointed. Professor Utonium and Ms Keane try to make sense of what happened. And things are about to get much worse.

 **Book III**

 **Vengeance**

* * *

 **Chapter XII**

 **The Aftermath**

 _ **115\. The Professor**_

 _"And the Powerpuff Girls arrive! Will our heroes congratulate the boys for saving the day?"_

Professor Utonium looked at the small TV in his laboratory, his attention fixed by the latest news. He smiled. He remembered a time when his girls captured and brought home the blond Rowdyruff Boy. What was his name? Beaver? Booler? Boomer? Truthfully, he was thankful that his brothers came and rescued him, since he had no idea what to do with him. He certainly just couldn't kill him or keep him confined in his ray forever!

And now, it seemed, the Rowdyruff problem had been solved for his girls! It was a unique and peculiar problem, borne of the fact that the boys were equal to the girls in strength and power, and some would even say that the boys were slightly stronger. The other villains, like Mojo, Fuzzy, or even Him, the girls could easily overpower, but the boys were too difficult to just overwhelm. The Professor had been worried by the girls' attitude that they could always easily defeat the boys by their wit and brains and intellect. Maybe, but the boys may learn, and when that happens…

He was pleased. With the boys on the side of good, it would remove the greatest threat to his daughters. It would give them allies which would make them practically invincible!

He could see the boys and girls talking.

 _"Hey Powerpuff Girls!" Brick shouted._

 _"Rowdyruffs!" Blossom barked_.

 _"We want to tell you that we've been pardoned by the Mayor for all that we've done before!" said Boomer in a very loud voice._

That's right. Tell the girls the good news!

" _Yeah. Look around you! We saved the day!" Brick announced._

 _The girls looked around. They saw destruction everywhere._

 _"Right. Saved," Buttercup replied._

 _"Let's shake hands!" Boomer said, a little too eagerly._

 _The three boys approached them with open palms. "Yeah, let's shake hands," Brick said, "to seal the Mayor's pardon."_

 _"You really expect us to believe that after what you've done?" Blossom asked in a very loud voice, her hand pointing to the city._

 _"After what we've done to them today, yes," Brick shouted as if that answered everything. "We did good, I think. Believe us, please!"_

 _"Yeah, we've been pardoned, so let's shake on it," Butch said as he closed the distance between himself and Buttercup, offering his hand._

 _"You really are idiots!" Buttercup shouted as she charged and punched Butch in the face, then gave a powerful uppercut, sending him high in the air. Brick and Boomer tried to assist Butch by attempting to attack Buttercup._

"What the? Girls! **Don't do it! They really got pardoned**!" the Professor yelled as he watched the TV in disbelief. "Oh my God! This the worst thing that could happen!"

He grabbed his coat, and his car keys. "I've got to reach the girls and tell them the truth!" he said to himself. This was bad. The girls didn't believe the boys. After what had happened before, he cannot blame them. Especially as the boys did lie to the girls about being pardoned before. Wait. What if the boys did lie about this new pardon? But if they did, why save the city from the monster?

He got that day's paper, and went to the legal notices.

No pardon for the May 9, 2005 issue. He went and looked at the newspaper for the day before, May 8.

His eyes widened as he read the pardon announcement. It was at the bottom, nearly unnoticeable, yet there it was. The boys really were pardoned!

He got the paper and rushed to his car. He needed to talk to his girls!

He drove as fast as he could. Unfortunately, traffic was heavy, and it took about half an hour to reach the city center.

There was a crowd, watching something in the air.

"Girls!" he shouted, pushing his way through the crowd. "What happened?"

"The Powerpuff Girls attacked our new heroes for no good reason," one citizen commented. "The boys defended themselves, and they just defeated the girls."

"The girls lost?" asked a flabbergasted Professor.

"Yes," another citizen said. "Look!"

" **Professor Utonium!** " one of the Rowdyruff Boys shouted. He looked up.

It was Boomer.

The three boys floated down, carrying something on their arms. The Professor gasped at their appearance. They were wounded, their faces covered with blood and dirt, and their clothes soaked red. They were bruised, they were hurt, and they were injured.

At least his girls gave a good account of themselves.

But the boys, at least, won, and were standing tall. The Powerpuff Girls were just as beaten, just as bloody, just as dirty, as the boys, but they were asleep, knocked out, and lost the fight.

The boys had a grim expression on their eyes. It was otherwise difficult to read their faces under all that dirt and blood.

They wordlessly floated to him, and deposited their counterparts in his arms.

"They are alive, Professor" Brick tersely said, as he floated upward. He had difficulty doing so, as he was hurt badly by the fight. But he had a triumphant air of one who had just won the biggest fight of his life.

"My girls!" he said, hugging his daughters, worry and shock mixed in his trembling voice. He wanted to make things better for his girls.

"Let's go," he heard Brick, and saw them floating upward.

To his dying days, the Professor did not know what possessed him, but he shouted, "Wait! Why don't you come with me to the lab? You looked banged up. Let me fix you up."

The boys stopped, and floated downwards. "Why?" asked the leader. "We just beat your daughters to a bloody pulp."

"Well, I saw what you did earlier. You saved the city," said the Professor. "And you're just like the girls, so I know how to heal you."

"We can heal ourselves," Brick snapped, then looked around, his mind buzzing, his body still hurting. He turned to the Professor, "but okay. I'll go with you."

The crowd cheered as the boys followed the Professor to his car. John Utonium carefully placed his daughters at the back seats, while the boys remained outside, floating, looking at him. He drove home, trusting that the boys would follow him.

What was he thinking? Why did he invite the boys who were responsible for the girls' condition?

He didn't know. It was an impulse.

His first concern was to patch up the girls. Then he would deal with the boys.

…

* * *

"Come in," he invited as he opened the door. "Help me get the girls."

The boys seemed shocked at his audacity at giving them orders. Boomer and Butch looked at Brick, who nodded. The three boys went and picked up their counterparts, and followed the Professor.

"Look, Professor, I don't know what game you are playing," Brick began, "but we just pummeled your girls."

"I know," said the Professor, leading them to the lab.

"You're not gonna trap me in that light again?" asked Boomer in panic as the three boys hesitated at the door of the lab.

"On my word, I won't try anything against you," said the Professor, looking at the three. "Come on in, and please, put the girls on the beds." He looked at three beds beside the wall of the lab.

"We are your daughters' worst enemies, and we are strong enough to kill them," the leader declared. "You cannot trust us."

"I'm well aware of that," said the Professor as he took the girls from their counterparts and laid them on the beds.

"Then why?" asked the leader. "You must hate us."

"I don't hate you," said the adult. "I've seen you save the city. And the battle with the girls was just a big misunderstanding."

"Look, if you're expecting an apology, tough luck! We won't apologize for anything!" Brick declared. "We told them we were pardoned, and they attacked us."

The Professor, at first, said nothing as he concentrated on putting some medicine on the girls and wrapping bandages on their bodies.

"Did you plan for them to attack you?" the Professor finally asked.

"Does it matter? They attacked first," Brick snapped, "even after we've told them we were pardoned."

"You lied to them about being pardoned before."

"Again, does it matter? They easily could have asked the mayor about it before attacking us if they didn't believe us!"

"And if we lied, we lied before we were pardoned! So it meant nothing!" Butch added.

"But would you have attacked them if they didn't attack you first?" asked the Professor as he dressed the wounds of the unconscious girls.

"No. It would ruin our pardon," the leader replied.

* * *

 _ **116\. Bearer of Secrets**_

The professor finished applying the medicines. He put blankets over the girls, and observed her daughters. "Come on boys, it's your turn now."

The three boys looked at each other, not trusting the Professor, yet not knowing what to do. "How about you, Boomer?"

Boomer, with apprehension, slowly walked to John Utonium.

"Please sit," the Professor asked, motioning to a chair besides the sleeping Bubbles.

Boomer sat, and the Professor got to work.

"I don't like how you three provoked my girls to attack you, though I'm willing to admit that the girls shouldn't have attacked you without asking," the Professor began to lecture, "yet I'm willing to put that behind me. I only want to know one thing."

"And that is?"

"Are you sincere?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you really turning over a new leaf? Are you renouncing evil?"

"We intend to be heroes to Townsville. We're not lying when we made that speech to the citizens. We would save the day when other villains and monsters attack," Brick stated with conviction.

The Professor looked at him and raised his eyebrow. "Other villains?"

"We're still officially villains," Brick answered, "and I'm not in a rush to renounce the label. Though we would not do any villainy. We won't do any crimes that would tarnish our pardon. Let's say we would be villains who do heroic things."

"But then you're not villains!" the Professor answered.

"Maybe, but we would like to keep the label for a while. We're still evil, but we won't do evil things," Brick answered.

"Okay, Boomer, that will do. Who's next?"

Brick went to sit on the chair as soon as Boomer, whose wounds were now cleaned and bandaged, stood up.

"Then you're not really evil if that is the case," the Professor stated as he soaked a rag with a strange green liquid and began to wipe out the grime and blood off the redhead's face.

"Perhaps, but we like the label just the same. We're not too keen to do things that are required if you're officially 'good'," he answered.

"But you won't attack the girls or plot their destruction?" the Professor asked.

"Not unless they attack us first," Brick replied. "The city would never forgive us if we destroyed their heroes."

"That is a relief. Listen. To tell you the truth, ever since you got resurrected, you three were my biggest worry. Not Mojo, not Him, certainly not Fuzzy or the Gang Green Gang. No, those, the girls could easily take care of."

"But not us. We were strong. But we were dumb and stupid, and that meant that your girls could easily beat us," Butch replied, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"So why worry?" Boomer finished.

"Because you're young, and your ignorance, I deduced, was not from your nature, but from your lack of education. Sure, my girls were born smart, while you are not, yet, by the way you acted and how you talked, you're not anymore the same dumb boys, right?"

"You have eyes and ears, Professor," Brick answered.

"And even when you were still uneducated, you still managed to defeat the girls in fights, right?"

"Oh yes. We kicked their asses!" Butch boasted.

"I worry because I know your nature. I made a study of Boomer when I captured him, and compared him with my girls, ," the Professor began. "When you were born, your brain is like a dry sponge. It has very little on it. Compared to my girls, who had a very high base knowledge, you are, as they say, simple-minded."

"You mean dumb and stupid," Brick corrected.

"But you can absorb knowledge easily. You can become very smart in a short period of time. You just had to be willing to listen and to learn, and knowledge will come to you like a dam bursting. It would come fast, and you could easily catch up with your counterparts," the Professor explained. "Just be willing to learn. But if you're not willing, knowledge won't come to you."

The boys nodded. "That does make sense," Brick agreed.

"If you become as smart as the girls, that meant that the girls won't easily outsmart you as before," the Professor said, "and if that happened, I was afraid that you might kill my girls the next time you fight. So when you said you're gonna be good, it was such a blessed relief!"

"And you wanted to make sure that we are really turning good, that we would not attack your girls?" clarified the leader.

"Yes. Okay Brick, you're finished. Butch, come here."

Brick was clean and his wounds were treated and covered with bandages. He floated away from the chair, and Butch went to the Professor.

"You won't attack the girls again?" the Professor asked.

"We won't attack them. Unless they attack us first," the leader answered.

"Please, boys, even if they did attack you, and you have to defend yourself, promise me, that you will keep them alive."

"We promise," Brick answered, "upon our honor."

"I promise I won't kill them," Butch agreed.

"I won't kill them too," Boomer promised, "I promise."

"And we won't attack your girls without reason," said the Brick, "so unless they attack us first, they're safe. And we won't give reason for them to attack us."

"Unlike today."

"We told them we're pardoned, yet the still attacked! We had to defend ourselves," he justified.

The Professor didn't feel like arguing the fact that they had set the entire thing up so the girls would attack even if they were told, so he simply nodded.

"But in return, you must do something for us," Brick said.

"And what is that?"

"To the girls, this conversation never happened," the redhead declared. "Don't tell them how smart we've become."

"Understood. We never talked. You're still dumb to them, but I can't guarantee that they won't find out on their own, Kenneth Charles Jojo."

There was a bit of silence as the boys stared at him, their eyes becoming bigger, if that was possible.

"What? That was supposed to be a secret!" Brick nearly shouted.

"It's quite obvious. Blossom had Kenneth's letters submitted for handwriting analysis with the writings of the so-called Ghosts of Townsville Library. I found out as I was cleaning their room. They were written by the same hand. And the only ones who had powers that can knock out my girls like how the ghosts did in the library are you three," the Professor explained, "though Blossom refused to believe that three dumb boys could be the same three smart kids Ms Keane was teaching. Today confirmed that you are those three students of Ms Keane, and now I know how you became smart. And I must say, she did a real good job. You are really really smart!"

"All the same, the girls should figure it out on their own. Please promise us that you won't tell them," Brick demanded.

"I won't. But I won't stop them from finding out on their own," he replied.

"Fair enough."

* * *

 _ **117\. Celebration**_

 _Later…_

"We won! We won!" Butch exulted triumphantly as they flew home. They were covered with bandages, but the pain of their wounds was nothing compared to their sense of elation that they pulled off their plan.

Boomer could not agree more. They had triumphed! No more groveling to those girls! They were better! "Yes, such sweet, sweet victory!" the blond agreed. "But that was weird of the Professor to offer to help us. Us who beat his girls!" They had left after the Professor was done treating their wounds so they won't encounter the girls when they wake up.

"Not that weird. He wanted to be assured that we won't attack his girls again," Brick explained.

"Will we?" Boomer asked. "I mean we did promise, but will we keep it?"

"We'll keep our promise. Unless they attack us first. And they won't as long as we behave," Brick answered. "After all, we got our revenge, right? So there's no need to attack them again! We have made our point! We proved we are better than them! We beat them fair and square!"

"Yeah, we even let them whale on us first!" Butch agreed.

"Still, I don't get it. Why didn't we just attack them and switched up? Like shouldn't Butch had taken on Bubbles first, Brick Buttercup, and me Blossom?" Boomer asked.

"Let me explain our plan again," Brick said. "There are reasons for how we fought. First, we wanted the people to know that it was the girls who struck first. By just defending at first, they would see that they are the aggressors, that the fight was all the fault of the girls! And it worked."

"And the second part?" Boomer asked.

"Oh to get some wounds and scratches, and thus, get the sympathy of the people. After all, if we don't have any scratches, some people might not be that sympathetic to us. I mean, we beat the girls out of self-defense, so we needed to be bloodied to make it believable. Besides, Butch here wanted to have 'fun' and have a _real figh_ t before we finished the girls. And let me tell you, that second part was fun! Going toe to toe with Blossom was quite an experience! We were equal! I'm sure your Princess, Boomer, is equal to you, and Buttercup, to you Butch, right?"

"Yeah, we are the same, we were stronger but only a little, but they got the better of us at first," Boomer admitted. He felt foolish for Bubbles hitting him during their 'defensive' phase. But fighting Princess Bubbles was fun. And though he would never admit it, her kissing him made a little part of him feel tingly and even happy. Even if she was full of cooties, being a girl and all.

"And then when we were sufficiently bloodied, we turned the tables! You see boys, I noticed during our fights with each other that Boomer, without his bat, is no match against Butch, and Butch is no match against me, while I took too long to take out Boomer. Since the girls fought the same as us, that meant that Butch could easily beat Bubbles, I could easily thrash Buttercup, while you, Boomer, could hold up Blossom long enough for our fights to finish, and we can finish her three on one."

…

* * *

"A toast! To revenge!" Butch shouted, raising a glass of soda as the three boys sat around a table in their home in the woods, with boxes of pizza on top.

"Revenge! Oh how sweet that tasted!" Brick concurred, raising his glass before biting a slice.

"The pizza didn't taste sweet," Boomer, after biting his pizza, said, completely missing the point. "And yeah, Revenge!" the blond added, raising his glass. "This day is for the books!"

"I wish I'd taken a picture at Butters' face when she realized we're just playing possum! And Bubbles! Her face! Oh her face!" Butch shouted, laughing as he recalled the memory.

"Buttercup's mug was priceless when she realized she couldn't even hit me!" Brick joined in, "while I kept punching her face! Oh she looked really pathetic."

"And Blossom! Blossom's face was hilarious when she saw that she was going to get her butt kicked!" Boomer added, laughing!

…

* * *

"So what's next?" Butch asked as he bit another slice of pizza.

"We do as we've been doing," Brick replied.

"Aren't we gonna go public? I mean, are we gonna call the press?" Boomer asked. The blond wanted to go and mingle with the people and make new friends.

"Not yet," Brick stated. "I'd rather not show people where we live. Especially the girls. Could you imagine them banging on our doors, demanding an explanation?"

"After that trick with Fuzzy, they ain't coming back!" Boomer retorted.

"Or come for another fight. They might want revenge! Oh I hope they do! I want to kick their asses once more!" Butch added.

"They won't fight us, not unless we do something first!" Brick assured.

"You think? If I were them, I'd fight us and get revenge!" the green ruff argued.

"But you're not them! The girls, Blossom especially, follow the law! She would not fight us if we did nothing wrong! Don't you know that even if Mojo and Fuzzy aren't pardoned, if they're not doing anything, they would not try to catch them even if Mojo was out in the open, doing groceries?"

"What?" Butch asked.

"That's stupid!" Boomer added. "We're hiding because we were criminals!"

"How else can Mojo live openly on top of a volcano top house?" Brick asked. "They only go after him when he makes an attempt on the city. Then they beat him up and throw him in jail. Afterwards, he escapes, goes back to his home, and what do the police and the girls do? Nothing!"

"That's true!" Boomer affirmed.

"And it happens again, and again, and again! Blossom explained to me in her letters!" Brick said. "If they don't go after wanted criminals in the open as long as they behave, they can't do anything to us! We're pardoned! We cannot be arrested for anything! We're as innocent as babies! As long as we don't do anything stupid, we're safe!"

Boomer smiled at that. That day was the greatest day of his life! He finally got revenge! For the first time, all the hate, bitterness, and anger seemed to go away once his thirst for vengeance got quenched. That fight was cathartic.

Now he got his pride back, and he can now "pretend" to be good, and live a normal life, preparing to conquer the world when he grew up!

Life was good!

* * *

 _ **118\. Shock**_

 _Later…_

Ms Keane was shocked as she drove home from school. When she learned that her boys had been pardoned, she had been happy.

 _Her boys._

Did she just call them her boys?

It might as well be the case, as virtually all their intellectual and moral progress was because of her.

She had hoped for a better introduction. Instead, things went pear shaped.

It could have been a great day! The day the most powerful set of boys, equal to the Powerpuff Girls, became heroes.

The boys did their part. They did save the day.

The girls? Oh the girls, despite being told that they got pardoned, attacked the boys!

Not that she blamed them. After all, who would trust former villains like the boys? Those same boys beat and humiliated the girls on more than one occasion. So it was understandable that they did not believe them and thought the boys were still evil.

Even after saving the day…

Once more, the boys beat and humiliated the girls. And on the very day they were supposed to become heroes.

How ironic.

At least nobody died.

* * *

…

It was a tense moment. The boys were sitting there, their bodies bandaged, their wounds patched up, showing the effects of their battle with the girls. It was supposed to be another day of academic lessons for them, but she knew that it will not be a normal day.

She was stepping on eggshells broaching the topic. She needed to be careful or it might go awry.

"First of all, congratulations on saving the city," Ms Keane announced. "You showed the City that you're not evil anymore, and that you would become their new heroes."

"Thank you," Brick replied, he and his brothers beaming at the compliment.

"Boys, about what happened with the girls—" she shifted topics, but she was cut off.

"It's their fault!" Boomer accused.

"Yeah. They attacked us!" Butch added.

"We told them we got pardoned, then we offered to shake their hands!" Brick finished. "It's not our fault we had to defend ourselves!"

"Yeah! What do you want us to do, stand there and let them attack us?" Butch added.

"Boys, boys, I'm not saying anybody's at fault," she said. "It was all a misunderstanding."

"It better be! How can there be a misunderstanding when we plain told them we were pardoned?" Brick answered.

"Boys, it take more than a piece of paper saying you're pardoned to earn people's trust," Ms Keane began. "Your pardon may have erased, legally, your past actions, but it didn't remove it from the memory of people, especially the Powerpuff Girls."

"But the citizens literally bowed down and worshiped Mojo Jojo after he beat the alien invader!" Boomer retorted. "And he wasn't even pardoned!"

"True, but the citizens of this city are not that bright," the Teacher replied. "The Powerpuff Girls have long memories, but they can be forgiving. Once you showed them you really changed, they will welcome you with open arms, and trust you."

"We don't need the trust of those stikin' girls!" Butch growled.

"Yeah. We won't go on our knees and beg them to trust us!" Brick finished. "They are our enemies, and we won't do anything so base!"

"Boys, right now, you may be enemies, but once they know that you really are pardoned and that you don't intend to act like villains, they will be your closest friends!" Ms Keane asserted.

"Friends. Right," Brick replied with thinly veiled contempt.

"Not immediately, no," Ms Keane acknowledged, "but at least you could work together for Townsville!"

"I'm sorry, but we cannot do that," said Butch replied.

"Yeah. Too much bad blood," Boomer agreed.

"And no. We hate them too much for it to work," Brick finished.

Ms Keane now saw her next challenge. She made them smart and persuaded them to "pretend" to be good. Her next goal would be to make them friendly with the Powerpuff Girls. It would be her most difficult task. Especially after the events of the day.

"So what is the next step?" asked the Teacher.

"I'm not sure. But we're not ready to open up to the world. Please, Ms Keane, don't tell anyone about our arrangement. We want to continue as we had been doing," Brick pleaded.

"I won't tell anyone," Ms Keane assured. "And it would be a pleasure to continue being your teacher."

"Thank you," all three boys said simultaneously.

…

* * *

Later…

"It's six o'clock," Ms Keane said. "Why don't we watch the evening news?"

"Yes, Ms Keane," the boys replied, and the teacher switched the TV on at the back of the basement, and it came alive.

" _This is Stanley Whitfield! The Rowdyruff Boys turned good! And did the Powerpuff Girls turned bad?"_

 _There was an image of the fight of the monster against the boys._

" _That was the most extraordinary sight I've seen. But not unprecedented. This reporter remembered when Mojo Jojo defeated the alien invasion."_

 _The crowd cheered as the boys saved the city from the monster. And cheered even louder when the boys announced that they had been pardoned and that they would now save the day. An even louder cheer erupted when the Powerpuff Girls appeared._

" _The Powerpuff Girls are here, it seemed, to congratulate the boys."_

 _There was a video of the boys announcing to the girls that they were pardoned and that they had saved the day. And even offered to shake their hands._

" _But the most_ _shocking, most extraordinary thing happened_ _. The girls spurned their offer of friendship, and worse, attacked the boys! It was an utterly unprovoked attack!" shouted Whitfield._

 _There was an interview with one citizen. "I was shocked. Why did the Powerpuff Girls attack them? The Rowdyruffs are now good guys!"_

" _The girls deserved the beating they got," said one ordinary citizen, Harold Smith, in the interview. "They attacked first without reason, and got their behinds kicked."_

" _The girls are jealous! Just jealous!" said another citizen. "They should remember that the girls were once bad guys too, and they helped Mojo Jojo take over the city!"_

" _It's understandable that the girls did not believe them. But why should they ignore the fact that the boys saved the city from the monster? That's baffling!" another citizen said._

 _Then the image on the TV was that of the Mayor. "This is disappointing. Very very disappointing. I mean, the pickle I just bought was not delicious enough!"_

" _Mayor, he meant about the Rowdyruff Boys!" Ms Bellum, besides him, reminded._

" _Well, the Rowdyruff Boys are my good friends. They are good boys who always comes and helps me with my little problems. Why a few weeks ago, I signed a pardon. They're not criminals any longer! They are now heroes!" the Mayor proclaimed._

" _What about the attack of the Powerpuff Girls?" asked the reporter._

" _It's despicable! The girls did not give me enough pickles!" he said. "I pardoned the boys, why did they attack them?"_

" _Ms Bellum?" asked another reporter._

" _It's true. The Mayor had pardoned the boys weeks ago, and so the girls did not have any legal right attack the boys without the boys doing any crime," said Ms Bellum, "and the boys did not do any crime since the pardon. But I'm sure this is just a big misunderstanding. I'm sure the girls didn't know the boys were pardoned. In fact, I only learned about it this morning."_

" _Thank you. And a poll was released," Stanley Whitfield reported, "and in it, 79% thinks the girls were wrong to attack the Rowdyruff Boys after they have been pardoned and have saved the day! 6% believe the girls were right, and the rest had no opinion. As for what happened next, 64% believed that the boys were justified in beating the girls in self-defense, 25% believe the boys went too far but were justified in defending themselves, 9% believe the boys were not justified, while the rest had no opinion. And finally, 93% believe that it was good news that the Rowdyruff Boys decided to become heroes and good guys, and 66% approve of the pardon."_

Ms Keane was very worried. The whole event turned the city against the Powerpuff Girls.

This was a disaster. Not for the Rowdyruffs, but for the Powerpuff Girls. She wondered how can she fix this.

* * *

 _ **119\. The Girls Wake Up**_

The Professor was the first thing Blossom Utonium saw when she opened her eyes.

She looked upon her surroundings, and they were in the Professor's lab. She looked around, and on her left, Buttercup was asleep, covered with bandages, while Bubbles was on her right, also wrapped in bandages. The Professor had a worried look on his face.

"Oh Blossom! I was so worried! Thank God you're okay!" he explained, hugging his eldest daughter

Her body ached, and she felt bandages all over her body. She wondered what had happened, before she remembered.

They were beaten. _Badly_ beaten up by the Rowdyruff Boys. And now they cannot stop them.

"The city! Oh my God the city!" she exclaimed. "What happened to the city?"

"Shut up!" she heard a voice besides her, and it was Buttercup. She had just who awoken.

"Oh Buttercup! You're okay!" the Professor exclaimed, and hugged her.

"Not okay enough," she said, "we lost."

"Yeah, we lost," a third voice, Bubbles, who had just awoken, said. She too was hugged.

"Oh my babies! I was so worried! But don't worry, I fixed you up, and you're gonna be good as new," the Professor said, nearly crying.

"Thanks, Dad," she said, hugging him back.

"What happened to Townsville?" asked Blossom. She was dreading the answer. She expected it to be in ruins, with lots of people already dead. She began to plan. How could they defeat the evil Rowdyruff Boys?

"The city is fine!" the Professor answered.

"What? How can it be fine! The evil Rowdyruff Boys defeated us, and they are gonna take over and destroy Townsville!" Buttercup exclaimed, bitterness in her voice, "and we're too weak to stop them!"

"It's fine. The boys aren't evil anymore," the Professor said.

"What? That's impossible! The boys are irredeemably evil!" Buttercup answered.

"And they beat us up!" Bubbles added.

Blossom seconded her sisters. "They are evil personified! There is no chance of them turning away from evil!"

"It's nearly six o'clock," the Professor, looking at his watch, said. "Let's watch the evening news, and judge by yourself. Can you fly?"

The girls floated, and Blossom said, "we can."

"Good. Let's go."

The Professor led them out of the lab and into the living room, where he directed them to sit on the couch.

He turned on the TV.

" _This is Stanley Whitfield! The Rowdyruff Boys turned good! And did the Powerpuff Girls turned bad?"_

 _There was an image of the fight of the monster against the boys._

Blossom's jaw dropped.

" _That was the most extraordinary sight I've seen. But not unprecedented. This reporter remembered when Mojo Jojo defeated the alien invasion."_

But that was only because the girls asked him help them! And only because Mojo Jojo wanted to prove himself to be the most evil of evil! But why would the Rowdyruff Boys ever want to help the city? Something's not right…

 _The crowd cheered as the boys saved the city from the monster. And cheered even louder when the boys announced that they had been pardoned and that they would now save the day. An even louder cheer erupted when the Powerpuff Girls appeared._

" _The Powerpuff Girls are here, it seemed, to congratulate the boys."_

 _There was a video of the boys announcing to the girls that they were pardoned and that they had saved the day. And even offered to shake their hands._

" _But the most shocking, most extraordinary thing happened. The girls spurned their offer of friendship, and worse, attacked the boys! It was an utterly unprovoked attack!" shouted Whitfield._

Blossom cannot believe it. The entire thing played out like they attacked the boys without reason, just because…

 _There was an interview with one citizen. "I was shocked. Why did the Powerpuff Girls attack them? The Rowdyruffs are now good guys!"_

" _The girls deserved the beating they got," said one ordinary citizen, Harold Smith, in the interview. "They attacked first without reason, and got their behinds kicked."_

" _The girls are jealous! Just jealous!" said another citizen. "They should remember that the girls once were bad guys, and they helped Mojo Jojo take over the city!"_

They were not jealous! The boys had it coming! They attacked first, right after they saved the city from that bug monster! This was so unfair.

 _Then the image on the TV was that of the Mayor. "This is disappointing. Very very disappointing. I mean, the pickle I just bought was not delicious enough!"_

" _Mayor, he meant about the Rowdyruff Boys!" Ms Bellum, besides him, reminded._

" _Well, the Rowdyruff Boys are my good friends. They are good boys who always comes and helps me with my little problems. Why a few weeks ago, I signed a pardon. They're not criminals any longer! They are now heroes!" the Mayor proclaimed._

What? It's true? The Mayor did pardon them!

Then she realized the enormity of what happened. They just attacked "innocent" boys. She nearly wretched upon the realization. The Rowdyruff Boys? Innocent? She wanted to scoff, but what can she do? The mayor pardoned them. How can he do that?

" _What about the attack of the Powerpuff Girls?" asked the reporter._

" _It's despicable! The girls did not give me enough pickles!" he said. "I pardoned the boys, why did they attack them."_

* * *

…

" _Thank you. And a poll was released," Stanley Whitfield reported, "and in it, 79% thinks the girls were wrong attacking the Rowdyruff Boys after they have been pardoned and have saved the day! 6% believe the girls were right, and the rest had no opinion. As for what happened next, 64% believed that the boys were justified in beating the girls in self-defense, 25% believe the boys went too far but were justified in defending themselves, 9% believe the boys were not justified, while the rest had no opinion. And finally, 93% believe that it was good news that the Rowdyruff Boys decided to become heroes and good guys, and 66% approve of the pardon."_

…

* * *

 _ **120\. Dumb and Evil**_

The girls just stared at the television screen, not believing what they were seeing and hearing.

"They were pardoned? They were really pardoned? But why?" Blossom asked. "Why would the good mayor pardon those evil good for nothing dumb Rowdyruff Boys?"

"Yeah. It isn't right!" Buttercup agreed.

"We just, we just attacked innocents," Bubbles said. "We did something wrong!"

"No we didn't! The only wrong thing we did was that we lost!" Buttercup ranted. "The boys set this thing up! And does it matter if they've been pardoned? They're still evil!"

"Look, girls," the Professor began, "I don't know why the Mayor pardoned the boys, only that he did, and he did it after the boys attacked you in the bug monster battle, and before you attacked them."

"And the people are blaming us!" Buttercup ranted. "How can they blame us?"

"Because look at what they saw," Blossom replied. "They saw the boys save the city from the monster, they told them they were pardoned, and then told us that they were pardoned. Then they offered to shake our hands. Then we attacked them seemingly without reason."

"So what do we do now? Dad?" Buttercup asked, looking at her father.

"I'm not sure," he said. "But if it is true that they really turned to good, then you should be happy. That's three less villains for you to worry about."

"I guess we should tell them that the boys lied to us before, about being pardoned," said Buttercup.

"We can't," Blossom retorted.

"Why?"

"We lied."

"What?"

"Remember we told the city that nothing happened after we defeated that bug monster?" Blossom reminded. "Are we going to tell them that we lied? And after we admit that we lied about that, how are they going to believe anything coming from our mouths concerning the Rowdyruff Boys?"

"I told you lying would come to bite us back," a dejected Bubbles reminded.

"Yes, you were right," said Blossom. "The only thing we could say was that we didn't know that they were pardoned, and we thought that they were lying. That's true, after all."

"And that we didn't see them destroy the monster," Buttercup added. "And we didn't."

"We should apologize," Bubbles added.

"Apologize? Nuttin' doing! We did nothing wrong!" Buttercup defended.

"But we attacked them first!" Bubbles argued.

"Those boys set us up," the green puff retorted. "Who knew they could have the brains to do such a devious plan?"

"That can't be. They're not smart enough to make plans that work!" Blossom argued. "It must be a coincidence."

* * *

 _Later_ …

They were in their room, alone.

They were depressed. First of all, because they lost against the Rowdyruff Boys for a second time in a row. And this time, they didn't have an excuse of being exhausted in a previous fight. And they lost badly. Second, because the town sided with the Rowdyruff Boys.

"How could those dumb boys beat us that bad?" Buttercup wondered. "I mean, sure, they were a tiny bit stronger, but that didn't stop us from winning before."

"Was it that easy? We were able to get some hits," Bubbles added.

"It was that easy. They were playing. Playing us all along," Blossom said. How could she be so foolish not to see it before?

"What do you mean, Blossom?" the blonde asked.

"They didn't fight us at first. They kept defending. Remember that?"

Both her sisters nodded.

"That was to make sure the people knew we started the fight," the leader said. "But what happened when Butch attacked you, Bubbles, and Brick attacked you, Buttercup?"

"They kicked our butts so hard," Buttercup admitted.

"They only had to switch, and they had that fight in the bag," the redhead continued. "Pretty smart for dumb boys. But maybe I'm overestimating them. I think the better explanation was that they simply lucked into that strategy. I mean, if not, that meant that they were far more intelligent than we gave them credit for. And they cannot be smart. I mean, who spells dumb without a 'b' and who thinks the sun revolves around the earth?"

"Hello! Just because someone can't spell doesn't mean they're stupid!" Buttercup argued.

"And just because they think that the sun goes around us isn't dumb if they haven't studied! I mean, if you didn't go to school, and see the sun go round, you'd say the same," Bubbles argued.

"No, they're dumb as rocks," Blossom insisted. "Look at how talked! Look at them! They know nothing! They were just lucky! We only have to act smarter than them, and we're gonna beat them. Do you remember? Their idea of fun is spitting at the sky and eating cockroaches! How can they not be dumb? It's not as if they could suddenly become as smart as Kenneth Charles Jojo and his brothers!"

Her sisters did not say anything else about the matter. There was a bit of silence as she contemplated their next move.

It wasn't the first time they did something wrong in the eyes of the citizens. She stole golf clubs for her father, they encouraged the Professor to sleepwalk and steal for toys for them, Buttercup knocked out teeth for money, and the city always forgave them.

As long as they felt sufficiently contrite and "sorry".

But that was the problem. Blossom did not feel sorry or contrite. In her mind, she was justified.

But they needed to do it in order to repair their reputation.

"Do you think they're still evil?" Bubbles asked, interrupting her musings.

"They are," Buttercup replied. "After all, they set us up."

"But Blossom said that they're not bright enough to set this up, and if so, they really were trying to save the day," Bubbles argued, "and it really was all a coincidence and a big misunderstanding."

"They're evil," said Blossom. "I don't know why they saved the city, or why the Mayor pardoned them, but there has got to be an explanation. Perhaps someone is behind them? I bet it's Him! Him is behind all of this! He's the puppeteer pulling their strings!"

"That makes sense. After all, he did revive them. And this is Him's style. Remember when he took over the Townies and made them turn against us? He's doing it again!" Buttercup argued, deep in thought.

"Right," Bubbles said, the nagging doubt in her mind ignored as she accepted Blossom's explanation that there was someone behind the boys. "Maybe it's Mojo? He's their first father."

"Could be. Could be," Blossom agreed.

"So do we apologize?" Bubbles asked. "After all, the people think we did something wrong."

"No apologies," Blossom snapped. "But we will do an explanation. We owe it to the city as superheroes."

* * *

 _ **121\. Trouble at School**_

 _The next day, May 10, 2005, Thursday…_

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay, girls?" the Professor asked as the three girls flew out of their home.

"We're fine. We're fully recovered," Buttercup proclaimed, but the effect of her bravado was lessened by a bandage wrapped around her head. "Nearly fully, anyway."

"That's right Professor! We're the Powerpuff Girls! We recover very fast! As they say, what does not kill us makes us stronger," Bubbles, with a band-aid on her forehead, insisted.

"Yes. A good night's rest, and the fact that your medicines work fast, meant that we are nearly 100%! A few more hours and we can kick those evil Rowdyruffs again!" Blossom assured. "Besides, what can happen in school? I don't think the Rowdyruffs would attack us at school."

"Yeah. That would blow their cover!" Buttercup agreed.

"Well, be careful. And remember, the boys are not your enemies!" the Professor assured.

"We'll be careful. Bye Professor!" the girls said before all three flew towards school, in their school uniforms and with their bag packs, not replying to the Professor's statement.

"You think the Professor's right?" Bubbles asked.

"About what?" Blossom inquired as they approached Pokey Oaks Elementary.

"About the boys not being our enemies."

"Sadly, he was taken in by their lies," Blossom argued.

"It's so sad that the Professor believed that they're not our enemies anymore," Buttercup argued.

"We'll just have to find a way to convince him of the truth," Blossom finished as they landed in school.

* * *

…

The students were staring at them as they landed, and there was an eerie silence unusual among the children of Pokey Oaks Elementary.

"Um, hello?" Bubbles mouthed as she looked at the classmates she knew, and whose eyes show confusion and bewilderment.

One girl, with long brown hair and big blue eyes, broke out of the crowd and approached the three.

"Are you okay? I was so worried!" she exclaimed, hugging the three.

That broke the ice, and the children crowded around them, and began asking questions.

"You're okay?"

"Wow! Were you thrashed!"

"Why did you attack our new heroes?"

"Did you know the Rowdyruff Boys turned good?"

"Did that hurt?"

Some were more supportive.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"That was an honest mistake."

"Yeah. Who knew they would turn good?"

"You're still my heroes."

"Hurrah for the Powerpuff Girls!"

The three girls floated a little, and signaled that they would speak. Silence descended upon the crowd of kids.

"Thank you. We're touched," Blossom began.

"We're okay. We're nearly a hundred percent!" Buttercup proclaimed.

"Yeah. A night's rest, Chemical X, and the Professor's medicines was all it took!" Bubbles added.

"Don't worry! The Powerpuff Girls will never fail you!" the leader said.

"As for what happened yesterday, we didn't know," Blossom began.

"So we thought that they were lying," Bubbles began, "but they were not."

"If we only knew that, we would have acted differently," Buttercup admitted, though she sounded as if she wasn't sure of what she's saying.

"Yeah. We didn't know. After all, Mitch…" Bubbles began, then caught herself.

All eyes were on the brown haired bully.

"MITCH MITCHELSON!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yes. How did you know that the Rowdyruff Boys were there! And why did you shout that they were attacking the city?" Blossom asked.

"I saw dark streaks of light over the city," Mitch shot back. "And what else would I think they're doing? How could I know they're not attacking, but were saving the day?"

Blossom looked at Mitch, suspicion building in her mind. She suspected he knew more than he let on. "Oh really?"

"Yeah! Why'd you think I'd go round yelling about the Rowdyruffs! Who by the way, are now heroes!"

"The Rowdyruff Boys!" Mike Believe exclaimed. "They saved the day, didn't they? Does that mean they'd go to school with us now that they're good?"

"I hope so! They would so put the Powderpuffs in their place!" Princess Morbucks shouted.

"Can it!" Buttercup snapped. "They hate you too!"

"I don't care! If it means you won't be the most powerful in school, that enough!" the spoiled heiress declared. "If I'm a Powerpuff Girl, I won't let myself be so easily beaten!"

"That's not true!" a student defended. "It wasn't an easy win!"

The bell rang, and the students trooped to their classrooms. The girls were glad they won't have to ask more questions.

* * *

 _Later…_

"Are you okay?" Ms Keane asked the three girls. And who could blame her, with their bandages and the band-aids? She felt a little guilty about the condition of the girls. She felt as if she was responsible for their injuries, being the tutor of the Rowdyruff Boys.

She was still horrified at the recent events. Her two set of superpowered students got into a fight! Of course, they were enemies, but this was after the boys were pardoned and "pretended" to be good!

 _This wasn't supposed to happen!_

She looked at pity at the girls. They didn't deserve this. After all, it was just an honest to goodness mistake.

"We're fine. We've recovered," Blossom answered.

Ms Keane looked at the three girls, not quite believing them. Maybe they needed more rest, and it was just the bravado speaking. She needed to speak to the Professor about their condition. "Girls, if you three want to go home, I'll be glad to excuse…"

"That's not fair! Those three losers get beaten up, and they get the day off?" Princess Morbucks exclaimed.

"We're fine," Blossom replied. "We're the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Way to spoil a good plan, Red," Buttercup grumbled, wanting to cut school.

"Look, I know that with the new heroes…" the Teacher began.

"The Rowdyruffs are not heroes!" the green puff interrupted.

Her self-appointed task of reconciling them to the boys was going to be much harder than expected.

"As I was saying, I'm glad that you're fine," the Teacher spoke. "And I know that yesterday's events was just a big misunderstanding!"

A really big misunderstanding. How can she face the girls and tell them she was the teacher of the boys otherwise?

"No, Ms Keane! They were just jealous!" Princess interrupted.

"Can it, Princess!" the toughest puff snapped.

"As I was saying," Ms Keane resumed, "I think it's safe to say that the Rowdyruff Boys are no longer your enemies."

"Why did you think that?" Buttercup asked. "They just beat us up!"

"If they're still your enemies, they would have killed you when they had the chance," the Teacher replied, "and they would have taken over the city and wreaked havoc while you were out of commission. As it is, the town is peaceful, and they even saved the day."

"Someone's behind them! I bet it was Mojo, or Him, that put them up to it!" Buttercup accused.

"Now girls, that sounded like a conspiracy theory," Ms Keane admonished. What would the girls think when they find out that it was their beloved teacher who was actually behind the Rowdyruff Boys? "Give them a chance! There's no proof that they're in cahoots with any villain."

The girls had no answer to that.

"Wow! I can't wait to hear about our new heroes!" Mike Believe exclaimed. "Imagine that! Two sets of superheroes!"

"Well, I guess we'll have to leave it at that. If the boys are up to something," the Powerpuff leader started, "then we'll find out soon enough. If they really are becoming good, then we would welcome them."

* * *

 _ **122\. Cross Examination**_

The day continued on, with Ms Keane teaching, and the students listening, or more accurately, pretending to listen. Their hearts were not on the days' lessons, but on the events of the previous day.

What would happen to Townsville now that their most powerful villains joined the cause of good?

Ms Keane was sanguine. Her gamble that she could make the Rowdyruff Boys smart and good had paid off. The boys would become model citizens, smart, polite, and law abiding. The girls would see the error of their judgment, and peace would reign in Townsville.

When the city found out she was responsible for the boys' U-turn, her reputation would soar. Teacher of the Powerpuff Girls! Tutor of the Rowdyruff Boys! No one else could claim such a distinction.

Her next task was to reconcile the Powerpuff Girls to it. It would be difficult, but it would not be impossible.

* * *

Later…

"Now class, could any of you tell me the definition of simple machines?" Ms Keane asked in their science class.

Blossom raised her hands.

Ms Keane smiled. Things were getting back to normal.

"A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force," she recited.

"Very good. Could you give some examples? Anyone?"

Blossom raised her hands.

Ms Keane wished that Brick was here. At least Blossom won't be hogging all the recitations.

"Blossom?"

She stood up, and confidently began. "Examples are the wheel and axle, the screw, the pulley, the wedge, the inclined plane, and the lever."

"Very good. That's all of them," Ms Keane began, but before she can continue, somebody entered.

It was a teen-ager employed with the school. She has brown eyes, blonde hair, and in sensible office attire, with skirt, hose and high heels.

"Ms Keane!" she began, her voice quivering and ragged, with a look of shock in her eyes.

"Yes Mara?" she asked, a bit annoyed at being interrupted, but when she saw the look on Mara's face, Ms Keane knew it was serious.

"There men and police downstairs. They're looking for the Powerpuff Girls. It's about what happened yesterday," she said.

So they want a statement. Typical. "Couldn't you tell them to wait until class is dismissed?" asked Ms Keane. "I'm sure any interview could wait."

"They insisted," said Mara. "And they won't take no for an answer. There's media and cameras and reporters too."

"Very well. Girls, someone's waiting—"

"We heard," Buttercup interrupted.

"Class, I'm going to accompany the Powerpuff Girls. Mara, could you look after them for me?"

"Yes, Ms Keane."

"Thank you. Girls?"

The three Powerpuffs floated, and they walked out of the classroom, and into the yard.

* * *

…

There were lots of adults outside. About a dozen police officers, all with sullen faces, and there was a couple in the middle, a middle aged man with brown hair, round glasses, and a blonde woman with blue eyes, pink blazer and red skirt. Ms Keane remembered them as Mr and Mrs Practice. Both had newspapers folded under their arms.

Then there was the media. There about half a dozen TV cameras and reporters, and all, inexplicably, where quiet.

"Good afternoon, Ms Keane," Mr Practice began. "We would like to ask some questions to the Powerpuff Girls about what happened yesterday."

"Girls?" Ms Keane asked, turning to the three floating superheroes besides her.

"We'll answer them," Blossom confidently answered.

"Good. First off, some preliminaries. I am Stanley Practice, attorney-at-law, and the Chief Prosecutor of the City of Townsville."

"And I am Sandra Practice, President of the P.A.P.P.," the woman said.

Parents Against Power Puff. What were they up to now?

* * *

…

Blossom looked at the Practices confidently. She encountered them before, when they tried to make them stop being a "bad example" to kids everywhere by making them stop using their superpowers. Then the Dooks of Doom happened. She was never more pleased than when the Practices were forced to eat their own words.

The Practices were not very bright at all. She still wondered how Stan, recently, got appointed prosecutor for the city!

Still, their pathetic attempt to restrict their freedom on action had one effect on Blossom. Even if she would never stop being a superhero for the sake of being a "good example," she was determined, in every other way possible, that she and her sisters would be the perfect little girls, so she can be held up an example of perfect behavior, that each and every little girl could emulate.

Then nobody could accuse them of setting a bad example.

She would start by answering the questions of Mr Practice. She was very confident. She should easily confound him and run rings around the balding lawyer and his wife.

"Let's start. You're the Powerpuff Girls, right?"

"Yes we are," Blossom answered.

"And you're Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium?"

"Yes."

"You're Bubbles Joy Utonium?"

"That's right."

"Buttercup Therese Utonium?"

"Yeah."

"Blossom, as a superhero, and an enforcer of law, you do obey the laws, right?"

"That's right, Mr Practice. As superheroes, we obey all laws, and we would never violate any one of them."

Of course they obey the laws! She would show them that they were good examples to kids!

"Even if you didn't know you violated them?" Sandra asked.

"It's an excuse, but ignorance excuses no one."

She remembered saying those same words to Brick all those months ago.

"When you see some thugs beat some innocents, what would you do?"

"We rescue the innocents!" Bubbles answered.

"And beat up the thugs and throw them in jail!" Buttercup finished.

"But why throw them in jail?" asked Mr Practice.

Was Mr Practice a lawyer not to know about that?

"Because they did crime! Beating up innocents is a crime, no matter how you put it!" Blossom declared.

"But what if they didn't know it was a crime to beat up innocents?" asked Mrs. Practice.

"Ignorance of the law does not excuse one from compliance," Blossom declared.

"What if those innocents were former criminals?"

"That doesn't change anything! Those innocents were not doing anything when the thugs beat them up!" Buttercup argued.

"Tell me, Blossom, if there was law making something a crime, what should the city do to make it known to the public?" Mr Practice continued.

Why was he changing the topic?

"Announce it, I guess," she answered.

"How about publishing it in a newspaper? Especially a newspaper everyone reads?"

"Yes. The Townsville Tribune, right?" she answered.

"Ah yes. So what if you caught a criminal violating that new law, after it was published in a newspaper, and he claimed that he didn't know that it was crime?" he asked. "Would you believe him?"

"Of course not. That's what they all say," the leader asserted. "It's just an excuse. Once it was published, they know about it. And if they violated it, then it's their fault for not reading the papers!"

"So you're saying that once the law was published in the Tribune, there's no excuse about not knowing the law?"

"Yes. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse!" Blossom snapped.

"So any law and announcement, once it was published in the newspapers, everyone has a duty to know?" he asked.

"Yes," she asserted in a confident voice, even if she was a bit uncertain where this was going. What was the purpose of this?

"And if they claim they didn't know it because they didn't read the papers, should we believe them?"

"Of course not. They are lying!" Blossom answered.

"Stan! Get back on topic," Sandra Practice snapped, looking at her husband.

Stan looked a bit sheepish. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. I got off track. I sometimes ramble, you know, and sometimes, my mind flies."

Blossom looked at him with pity. How did he become prosecutor again?

"Let's get back to the topic, shall we Blossom?"

"Of course, Mr Practice."

"Where were we before I got sidetracked about the papers? Oh yes. What if you beat the thugs? Oh yes. What if the thugs beat innocents who turned out to be former criminals?"

"As Buttercup said," Blossom replied with confidence, "It doesn't change anything! Those innocents were not doing anything when the thugs beat them up! They're innocent even if they were former criminals."

"Thank you for that. Now, you fought the Rowdyruff Boys yesterday, right?"

"Right."

"You attacked first, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"Just answer yes or no," Sandra Practice snapped.

Blossom was stuck. Everyone saw what happened on TV!

"Yes." She would have to explain herself later when the interview was over.

"Yesterday, the boys did not attack first, right?"

"No, they did not." Blossom confirmed.

"They told you they were pardoned before you attacked them, right?"

"Why should we—" Buttercup began.

" **Yes, or no!"** Mr Practice demanded.

"Yes," Blossom conceded. But they tricked the Powerpuff Girls! But she cannot tell them that, as that would mean she had to admit that they lied when they told them that no one attacked them after the monster attack.

"They asked to shake your hands first, right?"

There as silence. "That's not fair! That—" Bubbles began. It really wasn't. But Blossom was stuck. She cannot refuse to answer any question, as that would imply they were scared or guilty.

"Just answer yes or no!" Sandra Practice snarled.

"Yes."

"They just defended at first, right?"

"Yes."

Those boys were trying to make the town think that it's the girls' fault, that the boys were innocent! And to her fury, it worked!

"They didn't attack you at all at first, right?"

"Yes."

"They kept saying that they were pardoned, right? Even after you started the attack?"

"Yes."

"Didn't Brick said, during your fight, and I quote, '. I'm tellin' ya, we're pah-doned by the Mayor and our crimes are erased! You are committin' crimes in beating innocent little boys'?"

* * *

 _ **123\. The Accusation**_

Blossom was silent for a moment. She was trapped. She finally said, "Yes."

"And what did you do next?"

"I mocked him, and I attacked him."

This was bad.

"And Buttercup, didn't Butch say, 'Would it help if I said sorry? I'm sorry for the things I've done'?"

Buttercup tried to say something, anything, but the only thing that came out was, "Yes."

"Then you said, 'You're gonna be sorry,' to Butch, right?"

"I did," Buttercup admitted.

"Then you attacked him, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, what would you do if some villains attacked you?" asked Mrs Practice.

"We defend!" Blossom answered.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Just defend? You're gonna let that villain get off scot free?"

"Of course not! We beat them up!" Buttercup snapped.

"You wouldn't!" Mrs Practice replied with horror.

"Yes we would," Blossom defended. "If they attacked us first, then we're gonna make them pay. If they start a fight, we're gonna end it!"

Then she realized what she said. Did she really admit that what the boys did was right?

"But isn't it a crime?" asked Mr Practice, "beating up the poor villain!"

"It's self-defense! Beating up someone in self-defense in no crime at all!" Blossom declared, digging herself further in. But what could she say? It was the truth. They did beat up villains in self-defense. Even villains way weaker than them. Just ask the Gang Green Gang.

Ms Keane tried to go to their rescue. "Girls, you've said enough!"

"I'm not yet done. If you believe you're innocent, you wouldn't hesitate to answer my questions, right? We want the truth to come out, don't we?" Mr Practice answered her.

"It's okay, Ms Keane. We'll answer the questions," said Blossom. She cannot back down now. Even if everything was crashing around her, she still had to try. Anyway, she was sure that she could explain everything.

She didn't know that they were pardoned. That would solve everything. That would excuse their behavior.

* * *

…

"Let's continue. So beating up someone in self-defense is no crime at all, right?" Mr Practice continued.

"That's right," Blossom answered. "We do it all the time, with Mojo, Fuzzy, Him."

"So when the Rowdyruff Boys beat you up in self-defense, that was no crime at all, right?"

"But that's differe—"

"Answer yes or no!"

Unable to lie, she said a in soft voice, "Yes." She looked at the crowd around them. They had ashen looks on their face, as if they were witnessing the fall of the Powerpuff Girls. Maybe they were. There were gasps from the crowd and the reporters.

"Let's go to another topic. You earlier said that any law, and announcement, once it was published in the newspapers, everyone has a duty to know?"

Blossom was glad the topic shifted. "Yes."

"And what else did you say?"

"That if a criminal claimed that they didn't know the law because they didn't read the papers, then they're lying, and it's just an excuse. And that even if they didn't really know, they ought to know, as everyone has a duty to know the laws," she explained, summarizing what she said.

"So if a pardon was published, everyone ought to know about it too, right?"

Blossom paled as she realized what was happening. She recognized the trap. But she could think of no way to avoid it.

"Don't answer that!" Buttercup shouted.

"Blossom, it's not necessary!" Ms Keane argued.

She blanched. Finally, she said, "yes."

"Very well," Mr Practice said, getting the newspaper under his arms. He gave it to Blossom. "Can you tell me that date, please?"

"April 29, 2005," she read.

"Thank you. Could you go to page 24, and go at the bottom page. And read the legal notices."

Her eyes scanned the bottom.

She saw it.

It's over. She condemned herself.

She could have cried. By her own words…

"Okay. List of Pardons, pardoned April 29, 2005 by the Mayor of Townsville."

There was a collective silence.

"Read the names, Ms Utonium."

She scanned the names, and stopped and saw the three names she was expecting. She looked at the Practices, Ms Keane, and the police.

"Boomer Rowdyruff, Brick Rowdyruff, Butch Rowdyruff."

"Didn't you say that if they didn't know it because they didn't read the papers, they're lying, and they actually do know?"

"Yes."

"So you girls knew they were pardoned, and if you claim you didn't know, you're lying, since it was in the papers!" Mr Practice accused.

Blossom remained silent. It was over.

"And is it a crime to attack someone when you knew that they are innocent, and were already pardoned?" he finally asked.

"Under some circumstance," she began, but was cut off.

"Yes, or no, Blossom."

What could she say? "Yes," she croaked.

"So by that logic, you committed a crime?"

She nodded.

"You knew they were pardoned, yet they still attacked the Rowdyruff Boys! The innocent Rowdyruff Boys! That's assault and battery! Arrest the Powerpuff Girls for committing that dastardly crime!"

"I'm sorry girls," the police chief began, his voice nearly breaking, "but for crime of assault and battery against the Rowdyruff Boys, you are under arrest!"

There was a gasp from the crowd.

What could the leader of the Powerpuff Girls do? She needed to set an example about being law-abiding.

Blossom put forward her hands, and she was cuffed. She looked at her sisters, feeling guilty about not foreseeing the trap. It was her fault.

Now she understood why Mr Practice got appointed as prosecutor. He was an evil genius.

Bubbles floated forward, and she too was cuffed. Buttercup, with a defeated look on her, let herself be arrested.

This was the worst thing that could have happened.

* * *

…

There was total shock among the staff and employees of Pokey Oaks Elementary. Even the press were quite stunned by what had happened.

Ms Keane despaired. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong!

End of Chapter 12

* * *

Author Notes

 _To_ **AuroruaX7** _,_

 _Nooo! This cliffhanger is more intense than the last one! :('_

 _Anyways, these are the most well written, and most descriptive fight scenes I've ever read in a PPG fanfic. Kudos to you!_

 _Looking forward to next chapter!_

 _\- Auro_

I know I'm evil with the cliffhangers, right? Anyway, thanks. I really do enjoy doing fight scenes. It's one of my favorite things to write about and imagine and watch too.

* * *

To **Hinate** ,

 _Reds Forever..._

 _Mou that felt like it ended too fast... Man JUST CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT..._

 _It's cruel ending it just like that... SOOOO Excited for next chapter!_

 _RAAWR!... Pls update soooooooooooooooon :D_

 _i'll wait forever for it though ~_

 _take care... cya soon~_

Reds Forever too!

Yeah, it was bit of a cliffhanger! And yeah, the next chapter's here! Hope you like this chapter!

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** ,

 _That was great :o_

 _Is this gonna turn into another allies and rivals situation? Where they fight three times and whatnot?_

Thanks. As for having three fights with the girls? Technically, there were already three fights. The first fight happened in the first chapter, where the girls beat the boys badly, the second one was after the monster fight where the boys lied about being pardoned, and last chapter was the third fight.

In other words, this is kinda turning into another Allies and Rivals situation, with Blossom not believing the boys, and the boys turning 'good' because of an adult.

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _Oh your answer to my review has me so excited X] the fight scenes were very well written. The rowdys have so much hate and anger towards the powerpuffs. In all honesty, I cannot see them becoming really good friends. I think with time they will learn to tolerate each other, but I think there is a lot of bad blood between the two groups for them to just let it go and become chummy with each other._

Oh yes. Quite a bit of bad blood, all the way to when the boys were first created. All the hate and anger bubbled up and accumulated. What the fight did was satisfy their thirst for revenge, because well, they had their revenge. And yeah, they first had to come to a point where they tolerate each other before anything else could happen.

As for being chummy? Not in the slightest. At least, not yet.

 _Then again, if you look at it, it's all a big misunderstanding of character. The Rowdyruff have always believed themselves to be evil and think that the only reason for their existence is to defeat the power puff girls. They didn't think beyond that until Butch suggested Brick should take over the world. For the girls, they not only underestimate the rowdyruffs and judge them too hastily, but they believe their purpose is to preserve the good and the peace, which the rowdyruffs are not. They won't even give them a chance, and the girls are right to do so._

I agree. The boys believe themselves to be evil, and even if they started doing good things, they still will not call themselves good and would still label themselves as evil. And yes, after what had happened in the aftermath of the bug monster fight, the girls had every reason to reject their claims of being pardoned and being given a chance. The problem was, not everyone saw it that way, and it looked very bad to the people of Townsville, and gave the boys a perfect excuse to get their revenge.

 _They can't trust each other based on prejudices and I feel like that is what would need to change before they can ever be more than acquaintances, so to speak. I feel like a lot of people overlook the basis of their creations for the sake of a story. I enjoy this story because it doesn't fall within that category. There is strong character dynamics and a lot of thought is put into the plot development from bricks planning, the fight scenes, the decisions and actions of characters building off each other, and progression. Really well written. Good job!_

Oh yes. They were prejudiced with each other. The boys think the girls are their enemies and that they are sissies and despise them, the girls, especially Blossom, think the boys as dumb, and evil. Those prejudices needed to change for them to really be, at least acquaintances.

And thank you. I put a lot of thought in the plot and characters.

* * *

To **insanityisablessedgift,**

 _Oh, a battle chapter! I thoroughly enjoyed this, (you have a knack at writing fight scenes, which is something I struggle with). Curious on what the boys are gonna do to them bwhaha._

 _To be honest throughout your story Blossom has been annoying the heck out of me about her mentality towards the boys. I know...she's not thinking logically and letting her preconceived notions block her from seeing the truth, but dammit girl! She's being as hostile as Buttercup. (I'm guessing this is something Blossom is going to have to work on as her character development). I hope Blossom realizes this soon about herself..._

 _Happy Writing_!

To be fair to Blossom, when she knows that Brick, the smartest one, spelt 'dumb' without a 'b', and Boomer ate cockroaches for fun, and spat in the air, and thinks the sun goes around the earth, you could be forgiven for thinking that the boys were really stupid and dumb. Of course, there is one simple way for her to be disabused about it, one way that she cannot deny, and it all plain to see—even the Professor knows.

As for what the boys are gonna do with them, this was answered. They cannot do more since they are trying to pretend to be good to prepare for world conquest, as Ms Keane had been urging them to do.

* * *

To **Akum** ,

 _Well, fights between brothers are so normal, and for the rrb is just child's play, so I like how they see it just as natural._

True. And with them being unable to just fight anyone else due to the need to maintain their cover, fighting each other is the best option.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _Oh my God! What a great, great chapter! What a great great fight! You really are awesome at writing fight scenes!_

 _Now, I can't wait to find out what happened to the Powerpuff Girls. It's too sad! But I'm happy for the boys! Hopefully, all would find a way to accommodate each other, though I doubt it. Too much has gone between them. It would take time, I think._

Thank you. I really like writing fight scenes. They are so much fun. And this chapter tells what happens to the Powerpuff Girls. As for them accommodating each other, it would be difficult, though not impossible, and yes, I agree, it would take time.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _Great fight!_

Thank you.


	13. III-The Favor

**An Education For Power**

The Rowdyruffs studied to gain smarts, and now, thanks to Ms Keane, they got the smarts and brains they craved for. Now it was time for Vengeance. Chapter 13. The Powerpuff Girls are in jail, and nothing, it seems, could help them. Ms Keane begs her students, the Rowdyruff Boys, to do everything to get them out of jail. Will the boys respond to her plea or will they ignore her?

To all readers, please leave a review! Thank you.

 **Book III**

 **Vengeance**

* * *

 **Chapter XIII**

 **The Favor**

 _ **124\. Appeal for Mercy**_

 _Later…_

Mr Practice sat in his office, pleased with himself. He was at the office of the City Prosecutor, and he had just had the Powerpuff Girls, those little girls that he detested so much, arrested.

He was typing the criminal charge that he would submit to the court in a few days. Oh he was going to get the girls for humiliating him and his wife!

He smiled. That trap was perfect, and the girls walked into it. This would be the easiest case he would handle!

He had all the evidence needed. There were the video tapes that caught the entire thing, and the testimony of the new heroes, the Rowdyruff Boys, would seal the deal.

He felt proud of himself. Others had tried to bring down the Powerpuff Girls! He would be the one who actually would succeed!

He would be the most famous lawyer in Townsville! Even in the State of Maine!

He surely deserved it. He was after all, Stanley Practice, married to the most beautiful woman in the world, Sandra Practice! He'll show them! He'll show the world!

He was a middling lawyer, talented, but was overlooked. He spent most of his days ambulance chasing, which, while it fattened his pockets, did nothing to enhance his reputation with his colleagues. Still, he usually won, got richer, and married the lady he had been courting. It was the best decision of his life.

Sandra Kay was the perfect woman. Blond, beautiful, with big blue eyes. But she was just as determined, and just as ambitious. And she had something he didn't have. She had a moral core. Granted, it was a core that many disagreed to, but she had it. And he supported it through and through.

When she became Sandra Practice, his life became better. They became pillars of the community. And that was when they decided to target the Powerpuff Girls.

Truth of the matter was, he really didn't care about the Powerpuff Girls one way or the other. To him, they were the heroes of Townsville, nothing more, nothing less. It was his wife wjp was obsessed with them, who ranted day in and day out about how the Powerpuff Girls were setting a bad example to kids everywhere.

It was Mrs Practice who set up the Parents against Power Puff. _P.A.P.P_. It was she who went door to door, collecting signatures. It was Sandra who argued and who convinced most of the parents to sign that petition. Most of whom didn't actually read it. Sandra would ask, 'Do you want the Powerpuff Girls to be better examples for your kids? Do you like your kids to try to fly and attack criminals with their bare hands rather than call the police? Then please sign this petition.'

Who was going to refuse to sign if it was phrased that way?

And it wouldn't have worked if Professor Utonium wasn't such an idiot. Yes, it was a petition, but until the Professor signed it, it wasn't binding! If they violated the contract, no court would throw them in jail for using their powers, as it cannot be enforced in court. But Utonium was hoodwinked, and the girls had to follow their dictates.

It's enough that the girls believed it to be so.

It was such a sweet triumph.

Then the Dooks of Doom happened. They had to eat their words and allow them to use their powers.

He and his wife were convinced that the girls put up the Dooks to it! He was sure of it! Those Dooks of Doom were just too convenient, just right after they agreed to act like normal little girls!

He and wife vowed revenge.

Of course, opportunities were hard to come by. His reputation was damaged because of that incident. So had to keep his head low and bide his time.

Then Brick came. Flattering him, giving him diamonds, wanting revenge on the Powerpuff Girls! Of course, he would help him! Even Sandra was enchanted by the polite young lad with striking red eyes who wanted to know the law to use it against the Powerpuffs.

And they plotted! Oh how they plotted to bring down their common enemy!

And then he was appointed prosecutor by the Mayor. Just before Brick was pardoned. And just after he mentioned to Brick that he wanted to be appointed, but the Mayor didn't know he existed and Ms Bellum didn't like him.

Did Brick actually got him his job? There seemed to be no other explanation, so in a sense, he owed the redheaded ruff leader.

Was this part of their plot? No, and neither was prosecuting the Powerpuff Girls and throwing them to jail. But he was sure Brick would approve.

What an auspicious beginning to his career as a prosecutor!

* * *

"Excuse me, there is somebody to see you," his secretary, an old lady about 50 years of age, with eyes and hair gray, announced.

"Oh, who is it?"

"It's Sandra Keane. She insisted."

Who was she? That name sounded familiar. Ah yes, she was the teacher of the Powerpuff Girls. She was probably shocked by what had happened.

"Hello? Can I help you?" he greeted as the dark-haired blue-eyed teacher sat down on a chair in front of his desk.

"Look. I know I'm only their teacher, but I feel as if I am responsible for their actions," she began. "I know the Powerpuff Girls since they were created, and I know that they cannot have known that the Rowdyruff Boys had been pardoned."

"That would be for the jury to decide," Mr Practice replied.

"They cannot have known that they've been pardoned. After all, why would they attack the boys if they knew?" she demanded.

"But they could! The pardon was made a few weeks ago! It was in the papers," he argued.

"But they haven't been reading the papers!" Ms Keane argued. "They are just six-year-old kids! Kids don't read the papers, let alone the legal notices! They don't know!"

"That's what they all say," he argued.

"Please drop this. They are the heroes of Townsville!"

"I agree they are the heroes of Townsville," Mr Practice concurred, "but they are not above the law. What they did was to make an unprovoked attack on three innocent little boys after those three boys just saved Townsville from a monster! And that was after they told the girls that they were pardoned! How can it be anything else than a charge for assault? They've committed a crime, and they know it."

"I know that," Ms Keane conceded. "But they're heroes. Can't you make an allowance for them?"

"Ms Keane, are you seriously suggesting that I bend the law in their favor? Blossom herself would disagree! After all, she willingly took the rap when she was caught stealing golf clubs!"

"Look, if it weren't for the Powerpuff Girls, there wouldn't be a law to bend in the first place!" Ms Keane asserted, her voice strong and assertive.

"I'm sorry, but the evidence is just too strong! They were caught on tape attacking the Rowdyruff Boys for no good reason!"

"Please, have mercy on them! They cannot commit a crime if they didn't know they were committing a crime! They thought the boys were lying, which wasn't surprising!" Ms Keane argued. "And seriously, who actually reads the legal notices?"

"Many people do. And as superheroes, they have a responsibility to read it, so they won't apprehend the wrong people," he replied. "You know that it isn't an excuse to claim 'I didn't read it so I don't know it's illegal'! That would be the easiest excuse for any criminal out there, you know."

"You know that this is wrong," she argued.

"That is for the jury to decide," Mr Practice argued. "My advice is that you should tell the Professor to hire a lawyer."

"Thank you, Mr Practice," Ms Keane said before she left.

* * *

 _ **125\. In Jail**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Blossom was sitting on the cold, bare floor, staring at the bars of her cell. She looked around. It was a dreary gray place. There was nothing except a double decker bed, a smaller bed besides it, and a long wooden table with three chairs. There was square window high up in the wall, with thick bars. There was nothing to look out of the window for except more walls. The light was a long fluorescent bulb, sufficient for their needs, giving a bright, white light.

The floor was clean, but cold. The place was depressing, which did not help the mood of the girls.

It wasn't the first time she was been arrested, but it was still shocking and numbing to the Powerpuff Girl leader. It was different. Before, it was clear that they either were innocent, like when they were impersonated, or she was guilty, like when she was caught stealing golf clubs. Now, it was confusing.

Was she innocent?

Or was she guilty?

She was sure she was innocent, but Mr Practice was so convincing that she even thought she was guilty, the way he put it. She guessed she was not sure. After all, she did beat up the boys first, after they've announced that they've been pardoned.

The three were still in their school uniforms. They all had the same black pleated skirt, that came to their knees or longer, with knee length black socks or black tights and black mary jane shoes, with the effect that no skin on their legs was seen. Their sweaters were differently colored, Blossom wearing a pink sweater, Buttercup, a green one, and Bubbles, a light blue one. But all have the same shape and design, with the school seal sewn on it. Underneath the sweaters was a white long-sleeved blouse.

"Oh this sucks!" Buttercup muttered as they sat on the bed in their cell. "This is all your fault, Red!"

"I know. I shouldn't have answered all his questions," Blossom conceded as she sat on a chair. "I didn't see the trap coming."

"Don't worry. It won't be so bad," Bubbles suggested in a soft, yet sad, voice as she sat in one of the chairs.

"Things will turn out for the best. They always do."

"So what can we do?" asked Buttercup.

"I don't know," said Blossom.

The three girls hugged each other silently.

"The worse thing is, the town hates us! They think we turned bad!" Bubbles managed to get out before wailing, tears freely flowing. "I saw their faces. Their eyes! They thought that we attacked them for no reason!"

"We didn't attack them for no reason!" Buttercup asserted.

"Yes, but that's not how it looked to them," Blossom said, her mind going over the events.

"Oh this is the worst thing to happen!" Bubbles cried. "The worst thing! I won't be able to hug my Octi to bed! Octi! Octi! COME TO ME, OCTI! I MISS YOU!"

That got to Buttercup's nerves. "Your stupid octopus won't fly here on it's own! So shut up, you crybaby!"

"Don't speak to your sister like that," Blossom snapped, irritated at their bickering.

"Don't tell me how to talk, big sister! You're talking got us into this mess after all! If you had just shut up when that Practice began asking questions, we wouldn't be here!" Buttercup shouted, her temper getting the best of her.

That got Blossom, and she snapped out of her self-pity, indignant and her certainty of her innocence returning. "My fault? My fault! _Who attacked first_? You did! You attacked Butch even after he told you they were pardoned! So it's your fault!" Blossom shouted back.

"What? My fault? No! You, leader girl, have the responsibility to read the papers, and we would have known that they were already pardoned if you weren't slacking off being leader!" the green puff retorted.

"We should've destroyed those boys a long time ago! Instead, we let them go," Blossom argued, referring to the time the boys were incapacitated from laughing so hard after playing with a tank, a plane, and a boat. "Anyway, it's still your fault. If you didn't rashly attack them, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Na ah! It's your fault!"

"No, it's your fault!"

"Your fault!"

"Your fault!"

"Okay, let's settle this! Bubble head, whose fault is it?" Buttercup asked their youngest sister.

"Yeah, Bubbles. Tell Buttercup she's the one who's really at fault here!"

" **Shut up**!" the blonde puff cried. "I don't care who's fault it is! It's none of your fault. It's all our fault! _Does it matter_?"

"Why don't we just bust out of here and kick the boys' butt?" Buttercup suggested.

"We can't do that. That would be against the law!" the redheaded leader argued.

"They already think we broke the law," Buttercup retorted. "So what does it matter if we really break a law?"

"Then it's better not pour fuel to the fire. We know we didn't, but it only seemed that we did break the law. We must show the town that they are mistaken."

"Oh how, your majesty?"

"By following the law, and by being the perfect example of how a good citizen should behave! Truth will come out, I have no doubt. I mean, how can we bust people for breaking the law when we break the law ourselves?"

"You're being naïve."

"Oh am I? What if we break out? That's another charge we have on our heads. Then we fight the boys. Could we even win? Could we even do better? And even if we win, then what? We would have attacked the boys again for no reason, and that's another criminal charge!" Blossom ranted.

"Isn't revenge a good enough reason?" Buttercup asked.

"Not for the Powerpuff Girls!" Blossom asserted, "even though I would like nothing more than to pound their faces to the ground."

* * *

…

"You have a visitor," the guard, a six-foot man with black hair and green eyes, with a bushy moustache, announced.

"A visitor?" Bubbles mumbled upon hearing it.

The girls looked at the cell door, and smiles appeared on their faces.

There was a six foot man, with black hair and black eyes, wearing a white lab coat, a black tie, and black pants, carrying three large bags, with guards carrying additional bags, and another guard carrying a television set. He had a worried look upon his face.

"Professor!" Buttercup cried.

"Dad!" Blossom shouted.

"Daddy!" Bubbles yelled.

"Girls!" he said, dropping the three large bags on the floor. The guard opened the door, he entered, and he was covered with hugs.

* * *

 _ **126\. The Visitor**_

…

He looked at his girls with pity and sadness. Oh how things turned south for his daughters.

He was in his laboratory when he heard the news flash—his daughters were arrested. He looked on in horror as Mr Practice, the new city Prosecutor, elicited a virtual admission of guilt from his girls. He was beside himself when he saw them being cuffed and led to the police wagon. He made a couple of calls, and found out to his dismay that he couldn't get them out. Not yet anyway. So he did the next best thing and gathered all that they would need to spend a night or two in jail.

"I'm going to get you out of here, I promise," he said as he put the three girls down. "Mr Practice is bent on getting you convicted, but we could get you out on bail. The judge, unfortunately, is still getting back from vacation, so the bail hearings wouldn't happen until Monday, four days from now. But we'll get enough money to have you bailed. And given your status as superheroes, he wouldn't set one that's too unaffordable."

"So we're getting out?" asked Buttercup, hopefully.

"Yes. On bail," he added.

"Which means?" asked Bubbles.

"It means we're not off the hook yet," Blossom clarified. "We still have to go to trial. A bail is actually a promise to appear at court when ordered to. Otherwise, the bail will not be returned."

"And I'm going to get the best lawyer," Professor Utonium assured. "You're get acquitted faster than Mojo Jojo could say uncle!"

"That's awesome!" Buttercup exclaimed. "Finally, a chance to clear our name! But when do we leave this place?"

"In four days, after the bail hearings. As I said, the judge is getting back from vacation," the Professor explained. "And since you'll be here for four days and three nights, I brought you some things you'd need to make this cell, if not as cozy as home, then something close to it, at least. And guess what? I'm going to be sleeping in a spare room near this cell, so I'm going be here if you need me. Just call."

"Professor, you don't need to—" Blossom began

"Hush, girl," he replied gently, "I need to do it. And don't tell me I don't. I'm your father, and I know what's best." He said in a gentle tone that would not brook any argument.

"Thanks Dad," the three girls said, hugging him.

He then set the bags on the floor and opened it.

"Now I brought blankets, a change of clothes, plus your toothbrushes and towels and other necessities. Bubbles, I've brought Octi!"

He retrieved the stuffed purple animal and gave it to Bubbles.

"Octi!" she screeched in joy, and grabbed it and hugged it. "Oh I miss you so much! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you Dad!" Bubbles said, nearly choking the Professor with her hug, and giving him many kisses.

"Jeez! It wasn't even a day yet since last you saw him!" Buttercup sneered.

"And Buttercup, here's your blanket. The same blanket that gives you your strength to be a great fighter!"

"Blankie!" she shouted, grabbing it, and rubbing. "I am a great fighter! I am a great fighter! Those dumb boys are nothing, since they don't have you, blankie, to make them great fighters!"

He could see Buttercup's sisters suppressing their giggles. "Blossom, here are your books and your letters from Kenneth Charles Jojo. I know you love reading and rereading them."

"Dad! Not in front of them," she whispered, and Buttercup and Bubbles giggling.

"Oh don't worry. We already know you write love letters to your boyfriend!" Buttercup teased.

"They're not love letters! They are intellectual and philosophical discussions where we exchange views on the condition of the world!" Blossom defended.

"Right. Philosophical discussions," Buttercup sarcastically answered. "Let me guess, the philosophy of love?"

"But you didn't deny he's your boyfriend!" Bubbles teased, nearly laughing.

"Only as much as David Jojo is your boyfriend," Blossom answered, and Bubbles became quiet at the mention of that name.

"Well, his drawings are so nice," she said.

"Careful, or Boomer might get jealous!" Blossom teased, as it was a well-known fact that Bubbles found her counterpart cute.

"Girls, girls," the Professor said, distracting them from their teasing. He was glad that their spirits were returning, though he dreaded the time when they would find out that their penpals were actually their worst enemies. "I also brought you some extra clothes, nightgowns, and a TV too, so you won't be too bored."

"TV! Yay!" Buttercup shouted as two guards entered with a small colored television set, and helped put it up on a table near an electric socket.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but is this allowed?" Blossom asked.

"Normally, no. But I made some calls, and even though they cannot let you go, they agreed that the heroes of Townsville deserve some special treatment. And so I was able to secure their permission to bring your things," the Professor answered. "And it's only fair. You saved their lives how many times now?"

"Thank you, Dad!" all three girls exclaimed, before getting to work.

The girls decorated their cell. They first changed the colors of their double decker bed, and the smaller bed besides it. Then they put cloth over the table, put a vase with flowers on top of it. They carefully placed their clothes besides the bed so they could easily retrieve it. They put a small carpet in the middle of the cell.

By the time they were done, the only thing that would remind them that they were still imprisoned was the bars on the windows and on the door to their cell.

John Utonium would never cease to be amazed at the housekeeping skills of the three girls. They could make anything clean, beautiful, and livable. Even a dreary jail cell. Everything was shiny. Not a speck of dust could be detected, not a thing out of order. All this, for a place where they be staying for only four days.

"Well, it's now a place fit for the Powerpuff Girls!" Bubbles declared.

"Yeah. Thank you very much, Professor. I cannot thank you enough," Blossom cried. "This is all too much. We love you so much."

She hugged him again, then Bubbles and Buttercup hugged him too.

"I love you too," Professor Utonium replied, hugging them back.

"Well, I need to fix the empty room where I'm going to sleep," he said, carrying a bag with his things in it. He was thankful that the guards were helpful in carrying all the stuff. Perhaps because the guard knew deep in their hearts that the Powerpuff Girls were innocent.

"I'll be back soon!" he said, waving at his three girls, who waved back.

He dragged his things inside the spare room, where there was single solitary bed with white sheets, a folded blanket, and a white pillow. He placed his bag on the floor, and the guards put the bags they carried besides it.

"It's okay. I'll manage," the scientist said.

"Are you sure, Professor?"

"I'm very sure," he answered, dismissing them.

They left. The Professor closed the door, locked it from inside, and sat on the bed.

All the events that had been happening since the morning of the battle got to him. It was all too much. His girls getting beaten up he can deal with. After all, they were regularly fighting villains and monsters, so it was expected that they would occasionally lose a fight. But combine it with the fact that his daughters were blamed for the fracas, and that they were thrown in jail was all too much.

He buried his head in his hands, and began crying.

* * *

 _ **127\. Rowdyruff Shock**_

Ms Keane was angry at the prosecutor. How dare he trick them into virtually confessing! That should be illegal! That was illegal! It cannot stand in court! It would be thrown out! Mr Practice would rue the day he decided to mess with Townsville's heroes!

Still, a part of her cannot blame Mr. Practice. After all, he was merely doing his job. Yet did he have to humiliate the Powerpuff Girls by that public display? By that public examination that virtually forced Blossom to confess her "crime"? It was uncalled for. He could have just called them in his office and interrogated them there.

But nooooo! He had to do it in front of the cameras! Mr Practice was just an _incompetent, publicity-seeking ambulance-chasing nincompoop!_ Shame on him!

Still, she held her tongue in Mr Practice's presence. After all, he could still choose not to file charges.

She was in her car, going home. She wondered if the Rowdyruff Boys were behind this. She would not put it past them to pull a stunt like this. After all, they hated the Powerpuff Girls, and wanted nothing less than to make them suffer. What better way to make them suffer than to throw their hated enemies in jail? However, she doubted it. There was no indication from the boys the day before that they had anything else planned other than to beat up the girls if the girls did not believe their story about being pardoned.

Still, she had hope. It was in her power to release the Powerpuff Girls. At least she hoped it was in her power. It would depend on her persuasive powers, but she had to try.

For the Powerpuff Girls. And yes, for the Rowdyruff Boys too.

* * *

…

Brick was looking at his notes for the day. After all the excitement of the previous day, it was back to normal. There was supposed to be a quiz that day, and because of what had happened, he didn't get much time to review. In fact, he and his brothers were so engrossed in studying that they didn't even bother to switch on the television and watch the news.

He hoped that things would settle down, and they could resume becoming smarter and "pretending" to be good as part of their preparations for world conquest, now that their thirst for revenge was satisfied.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Teacher said as they had settled in for that day's lesson.

"What happened?" asked Boomer.

"I was busy. I was at the prosecutor's office. Trying to get the Powerpuff Girls out of jail."

Wait! The Powerpuff Girls were in jail? Since when? "What? They were in jail?" Brick exclaimed, extremely surprised.

Ms Keane was studying him.

"What did they do now? Steal another set of golf clubs?" Butch joked, and all three boys laughed.

"Wait. You did not know? It's all over the news!" she answered.

"Sorry. We've been too busy studying. It's quiz day today," Brick answered.

"Oh that! I'm so sorry, I forgot about that. I wasn't able to prepare a quiz! It's postponed till next week."

"Yeah! NO QUIZ!" Butch shouted in joy.

"I haven't studied much, with all that had happened," Boomer happily admitted, "I'm glad it got moved! Thank you Teacher! You're the best!"

Brick was pleased. Although he was sure he was going to pass, he wasn't sure he was going to ace it, and that was what mattered to him. After all, he needed to show Blossom that Kenneth Charles Jojo was as smart as her! When Blossom finds out the truth, she will definitely flip her lid!

Thank God that the Teacher visited Mr Practice to get the Powerpuff Girls off jail.

"Wait. Why are the Powerpuff Girls in jail?" the leader suddenly asked.

"I think's it's better to watch the evening news. It's about five and I think there's a five o'clock update at Channel 6."

She took the remote and switched on the TV.

* * *

" _This is Stan Whitfield! The Powerpuff Girls! Arrested! Continuing from what happened yesterday, the Powerpuff Girls were charged with assault and battery of the new heroes, the Rowdyruff Boys!"_

 _Then there was clip of the cross-examination done by Mr Practice, and the scene of their arrest was played._

" _This is a sad day for Townsville," Mr Practice said to the camera afterwards. "At least Blossom was noble enough to admit when she made a mistake, and that she did a crime."_

…

* * *

There was stunned silence when it was over, and the television was switched off.

"So you're telling me that they're going to jail because of what they've done to us?" asked Boomer.

"Yes."

Brick didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, it was satisfying to see his enemies get what was coming to them. But he was angry at the ingratitude of the city. He didn't plan this. He only wanted to get revenge publicly and without any legal problems. And part of him did not want to see his penpal get incarcerated. Despite all, he still loved writing letters to Blossom.

Wasn't that ironic?

"He made them practically admit to being criminals!" he said, shocked.

"And I went to Mr. Practice to beg him to drop the charges, but he wouldn't listen," said Ms. Keane, her tone sad.

"And to think that after all they've done to the city, this is how the city treats them. The worse thing was that they really didn't know you were pardoned. It was just a mistake," she continued in a soft voice. "They don't deserve this!"

The boys were quiet, unsure of what to say.

She continued. "I remember when they first came to my classroom in kindergarten. They were so adorable. So cute. I thought that they were normal kids when John first brought them over. But they were not normal, but it didn't matter. It made them even more special."

"Teaching them, day in and day out, made me feel like a mother to them. Maybe because they have no mother, only a father, maybe that's the reason. Every moment seeing them grow, learn, and fight for justice, was worth it. I love them. I love the Powerpuff Girls. I love them to the depths of my soul."

* * *

 _ **128\. A Family that Cries Together, Stays Together**_

By now tears were falling from her eyes.

"I am happy when they triumph, when they are happy. I am happy when Professor Utonium and the three girls are a family and acts like a family, acts close together. And when they fail, when they fall, something inside me…

"The saddest event in my life was when you first came and we all thought that you killed the Powerpuff Girls. My heart broke. It was the saddest thing. I was part of crowd around that hole in the ground that you pushed them to, and we thought they were dead. We cried. I cried. Yet they lived, and that was the greatest relief that I had felt in my life.

"They were not perfect, but in my eyes, they might as well be. I was disappointed in their mistakes, but they were always sorry. And they were the nicest little girls, Bubbles especially. She is a darling. She is the cutest, and would make your heart flutter. Blossom was very smart, as smart as you, Brick. And Buttercup is the toughest. She will protect all those she loves with the ferocity of a tiger.

"Seeing them cuffed and hauled to jail, it…. it's too much! They don't deserve this! They are suffering miserably, and I can't do anything about it! The Professor can't do anything about it!"

No words could be understood after that, as she cried loud and uncontrollably, tears flowing like a torrent.

Brick looked at her, sad, hurt. Looking at his Teacher, his Ms Keane, be reduced to this state, it was too much. He remembered all the times that they stayed together, the time when she helped them build a home. Everything they had at the moment, everything, including their minds and their morals and their manners, was because of Ms Keane. Without Ms Keane, they would be nothing. They would still be dumb as rocks, with no prospect of beating the Powerpuff Girls.

What he was, what they were as brothers, was all due to the magnificent woman in front of them.

Something tugged inside of him, seeing her reduced to such straights. She was always calm, proud, and in charge. To see her like that was, was…

It was too much. Suddenly, he felt tears drop from his eyes.

"Please, Teacher, please don't cry!"

It was Butch, and Brick could see his eyes welling up.

"Please, Ms Keane, Teacher! Don't cry," Boomer shouted, going and hugging her, tears flowing like torrents, bawling as loud as the adult woman. "I don't want you to be sad! I want you to be happy. We all love you!"

Seeing Boomer, Brick couldn't control himself. He went and hugged his teacher, crying freely. "Please, stop. You're the best, greatest teacher there ever was. Nobody could compare to you! We would be nothing if it weren't for you. Please, I don't want you to be sad. We'll do anything, anything, just don't be sad."

He barely noticed that Butch joined them, and all three boys, clung to her like she was their mother, and she hugged them close, like they were her sons. They cried a bit, and for a long time, they were just there, clinging to each other, letting their tears dry, afraid to let go.

* * *

Later...

"I'm so sorry for this, boys," Ms Keane said when she could speak. "It's just that, those girls are really close to me. Just as close as I am to you. It's just, looking at them in jail, it hurts so much. It's like seeing your baby get torn away from you. All because they think that they hurt you."

There was silence.

"Boys, I know that you may not like it. But I want to ask a favor of you," said the Teacher.

" _Anything_!" Boomer cried.

"Yeah. Just don't be sad!" Butch sobbed, clinging to her.

"Could you forgive them? Or publicly say that you won't press charges? Anything to get them out of jail?" she said in a soft voice.

He didn't care about the Powerpuff Girls. He hated them. He would not care if they rot in jail. _But he does care if Ms Keane will be sad if that would happen_. And he would do anything to make her happy.

"We will. We will," Brick agreed without hesitation.

"The girls will be free! Even if we have to break them out of jail ourselves!" Boomer added.

"Yeah. I hate them, but not enough not to make you happy!" Butch agreed.

Ms Keane looked at the three, her eyes filled with gratitude and happiness. That was enough to tell Brick that his decision was the correct one.

He found out that afternoon, that he really did care about Ms Sandra Keane, their tutor, their teacher, and their foster parent. And yes, as Boomer said, they all love her.

When they take over the world, he was going to erect giant statues of her all over the world, and name a city or two after her too! She would have the biggest mansions, and the largest bank accounts, and she would want for nothing.

…

* * *

 _Later. Just before the boys left…_

"So what will you do?" asked the Teacher.

"I guess we should talk to Mr Practice," Brick said to Ms Keane and his brothers. "Maybe if we talked to him, he would be convinced to let this go."

"After all, we were the supposed victims in this," Boomer nodded.

Did he really say victim? He hated that term. The Rowdyruffs were not victims! Especially in this matter.

"Not victims, since we cannot be victims. We are the aggrieved party," Brick corrected.

"And if he doesn't agree?" Butch inquired.

"Oh he'll agree. He won't have a case otherwise, as we won't testify in the trial," the leader answered.

"Thank you boys," Ms Keane finally said, standing up and smoothening her rumpled clothes. "You have no idea how much this meant to me. And I know how much sacrifice it would be for you to be nice to them, as they're your enemies and all that, so I really am grateful for that.

"Think nothing of it, Teacher."

…

* * *

Ms Keane looked at the fading forms of the boys as they flew home. Truly, she had not planned to cry and act all emotional. It just came to her as all the events of the past two days came rushing to her, and as she talked about the girls, she just broke down and lost it.

She knew. The boys loved her. Treasured her. And do not want her to become sad.

What a long road they have travelled together.

 _What a journey!_

And the feeling was mutual. She really cared about the boys. So much so that she cared about them as much as she cared about the Powerpuff Girls. Who would've thought a few months ago when they came knocking with the proposition for her to teach them?

All doubts of her wisdom in taking on the boys in exchange for diamonds was gone that day.

Hopefully, their efforts to get the girls out of prison would bear fruit.

* * *

 _ **129\. More Rowdyruff Heroics**_

 _The next day, May, 11, 2005, Friday…_

"So where are we going?" Boomer asked as they flew in the air.

"To the home of Mr. and Mrs. Practice!" Brick answered.

He smirked. He was going to do a huge favor for the Powerpuff Girls. Not because he cared for the girls, but because he cared for their Teacher, who did care about the Girls.

Ironic, wasn't it?

Besides, he already got what he wanted—he had his revenge. He utterly humiliated and beat up the Powerpuff Girls in front of the Town, and did it in such a way as to completely look innocent and smelling of roses to the dumb Townies. The town loved the Rowdryruff Boys, they worshipped them! It would be the start of their new life.

So what's a little favor to Ms Keane that would help the Powerpuff Girls? It would not change the fact that he was victorious over Blossom, that the Rowdyruff Boys humiliated the girls, or that he already had satisfied his thirst for revenge. He was _satisfied_. He was _satiated_. Because of that, he didn't care one way or the other if she rotted in jail or not. It wasn't a big deal for him to get her off the hook.

He already had a plan in his mind to rescue their counterparts…

"Boss, Monster!" Butch shouted, pointing in the direction of the sea.

"Monster, eh?" Brick said, smiling, seeing the head of the monster emerge from the sea and getting closer and closer to the city. "Want to have some good ole' fashion, violence?"

"Violence! Violence! _Violeeeeeeeence_!" Butch shouted, twitching as he got excited, jumping left and right.

"Boom?"

"Yeah! We'll destroy that monster for threatening our city!"

"Our city. I like the sound of that. We own the city! _Townsville is Rowdyruff Territory now_!" Brick declared, eliciting cheers from his brothers. "This city is the first part of the world that we will rule! So let's show the Townies what a real savior could do!"

They flew towards the coast. The monster was a typical giant lizard, about a hundred feet tall, with a head like a tyrannosaurus rex, with long arms, with four fingers sporting giant claws, giant-hoof like feet, and a giant tail.

By the time they reached the monster, it was already on the beach, and was heading towards the buildings near the shore. People were panicking, running away, and a media crew was covering it from a helicopter.

"Butch, do your thing!" Brick ordered as he flew towards the panicking people. He was enjoying this.

Butch did as told.

"Boomer, help Butch."

"Sure, my leader!" he said, and he did as told. Brick faced the crowd.

"People of Townsville! The Rowdyruff Boys are here to save the day!" he declared in his low voice, eliciting a cheer from the crowd.

In the meantime, Butch grabbed the monster by the tail, and Boomer punched it in the head. The monster got dizzy. Butch took the opportunity to throw it high in the air.

All three boys landed in the middle of the crowd. Their eyes began to glow. Facing each other, they shot laser from their eyes. It merged, and an even more powerful beam came forth, heading straight towards the monster above.

The monster was thrown high up, until it could go no more and started to fall. Before it could reach the ground, it was hit by the merged laser. There was a spectacular explosion.

The crowd cheered.

The helicopter with the media approached. Stanley Whitfield, the reporter, and a camera man ran towards them.

"Rowdyruff Boys! I'm Stanley Whitfield, and—"

Brick cut him off. "I know, and everything will become clear this afternoon," he said.

The three boys flew away, to the cheers of the crowd.

* * *

…

"That was awesome!" Boomer exclaimed as they flew away from the city, heading towards the suburbs.

"Yeah Boom. I really enjoyed making speeches to those people, and they really took it in! They really adored us!" Brick exclaimed. "Getting followers for our world conquest when we grow up wouldn't be that difficult."

"So what now?" asked Butch.

"To the Practices! It's Stan's day off today, so let's go to the suburbs!"

* * *

…

"Why Brick, it's so nice to see you! Come in, come in. And this is your brothers I presume?" Mrs Sandra Practice greeted as soon she opened her door.

"Yes. This is Boomer, and this is Butch. My brothers, this is the lovely and beautiful Mrs Sandra Practice! Say hello."

"Hello Mrs Practice!" Butch greeted.

"Hi Mrs Practice! Mr Practice sure is lucky!"

Mrs Practice giggled like a schoolgirl, enjoying the compliments as the three walked in.

They sat on a big couch in the middle of the living room on the first floor. "Stanley, we have visitors! It's the Rowdyruff Boys!" she called.

Mr Practice walked in, a big smile plastered on his face, his eyes beaming under his thick eyeglasses.

"Boys! You must be Boomer," he began, shaking the blond's hand, "and you must be Butch." He shook his hand too. "Brick told me all about you!"

"My brothers, this is Stanley Practice, our current chief prosecutor! He was the one who was most responsible for coming up with the plan to trap those Powerpuff Girls!" Brick introduced.

"Oh please! I just gave legal advice!"

"But that advice was most crucial! We were able to openly beat them up without any legal consequence, and pin the blame on them too!" the leader replied.

"Ah, but you were the one who sought me out, and I wasn't a prosecutor then. I'm just a lawyer who knew too much and who annoyed too many people, like the Powerpuff Girls. _Congratulations_ on your win. Planning is one thing. Executing it to perfection is another, and you executed it brilliantly! I watched the fight on TV, and it was awesome to watch the beatdown of those girls. And the way you played them! Oh how you played them! You had everyone eating out of your hand!" Mr Practice praised. "Well done, boys!"

* * *

 _ **130\. The Proposition**_

Mr Practice could not be prouder of their plan!

"Yes. Revenge is so sweet. And they were humiliated so badly, though I admit, throwing them in jail was a surprise. That wasn't part of the plan," Brick replied just as Mrs Sandra Practice returned with a tray of hot chocolate drinks and a plate of cookies.

"Well, seeing as the girls committed a felony, I thought I'd pursue it to its logical conclusion," he began. "Legally speaking, the girls had no excuse. And with this, your revenge would be complete. You're pleased, no doubt."

"Not exactly. You do know that the girls will be acquitted?" Brick replied.

"I have an airtight case!" he declared, slightly offended.

"And Stan is one of the greatest lawyers in the country!" Sandra added. He was thankful that he had such a supportive spouse.

"I'm not doubting your case or your talents. Far from it. You're very good. Legally speaking, the case is airtight. It's just that, no Townsville jury would convict her."

Mr Practice needed no reminding of the reputation of the Powerpuff Girls with the citizens of Townsville. Right now, the citizens maybe angry at them for picking a fight at the new heroes, but once the girls become victims, the sympathy would shift. And there lies the problem.

"They convicted her of stealing golf clubs!" he finally argued, after a bit of uncertain silence.

"She pleaded guilty. You think the girls will plead guilty this time? No. And you know what? Any lawyer worth his salt would remind the jury of all the times they saved them. And of course, the girls would probably tell, during the trial, of the time we lied to them about being pardoned and then, how we beat them up afterwards. That would thrash our reputation as Townsville's new heroes," Brick answered.

Of course. Brick was worried for his own skin. As expected.

"That is a problem. Right now, Blossom's not telling it because it would damage her reputation, but she would tell to avoid being convicted in the actual trial," Stan reasoned out.

"Precisely."

"But Brick," Mrs. Practice interrupted, "it's all well and good to tell us your problem. But what do you propose we should do?"

"Drop the charges."

"What?" he asked, not believing his ears.

"Or don't even file it since you haven't yet."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm asking it as a favor."

"Look, I'm not sure I could do that, you know. If I put them away for good, then my name is made! I'm going to be the most famous lawyer in America!"

He floated until he was eye to eye with the lawyer, his big wide blood red eyes staring at him. "Listen. You may not realize it, but I am going to be a powerful and important man when I grow up," he began, surprising even his brothers at the shift of topic. "I am at the beginning of my journey. I'm going to rule all. Yes, everyone will bow down to me, and I will take my rightful place in the world. And I will have the power to reward those who helped me on my journey. They will attain great power and wealth."

Looking at those eyes, Stan had no doubt that Brick would pursue that goal, and that he would succeed. Probably at a young age. He was physically the most powerful boy in the world, with only his brothers to rival him. He was going to be rich because of his diamond from coal ability. And he, already at that age, had political influence, as he was very influential with the mayor. And at such an age, he was so intelligent and cunning and devious! If Brick was going to achieve great heights, then it's best if he hitched his wagon to him.

He was hooked.

"I understand very well, Brick," he said, in awe at his audacity, at his ambition.

"I only require that you would grant my humble requests whenever I require it," he said. "And don't worry about thinking that you'd only benefit when I grow up. I am offering something more practical. You are a prosecutor, right?"

"That my job."

"You might forego bagging the Powerpuff Girls, but that's okay. They're going get off scot-free anyway, no matter the evidence," he continued. "But in exchange, you'll be able to catch more crooks. Big time crooks, I might add. How could I help? I can gather evidence for you, and get evidence that no ordinary detective or policeman could get. We have x-ray vision, we can use super speed to go and grab things and return it before anybody know it's gone, we can shrink ourselves into tiny little ruffs, and go undetected to places. So what do you say?"

"I'll take it!" Mr Practice said, shaking his hand. "I'm not going to file charges against the Powerpuff Girls, though, of course, I cannot just say that it's because the town will acquit them no matter what."

"Leave that to me, Mr Practice," Brick confidently replied. "As for the others?"

"If you want anything for me, just ask, and I'll be your loyal servant," Stanley declared.

"And if you want help in your work, or if you suspect someone, just give me a call," the redhead Rowdyruff said. "Thank you for this. You have no idea how much this meant to me. You won't regret this bargain!"

"Well, thank you, Rowdyruff Boys. This is gonna be a start of something very interesting," Sandra Practice said.

…

* * *

 _Later…_

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Sandra scolded as soon as the boys left.

"Don't you see? The boys are the future! I feel it in my bones! They are gonna make it big, and they are gonna be the most powerful men in the world!" he exclaimed.

"I know that. But they're already powerful," she insisted.

"Not only physically powerful. I mean powerful in the political sense," he said. "He's gonna rise, and I don't know how high he'll rise. I can see it. He has the ability, he has the wealth, but most importantly, he has the ambition. Blossom has the ability, but not the wealth apparently, and she has no ambition. She has the popularity, despite what happened the past few days. But Brick will become popular too. Just look at his eyes! It's hypnotic! I was never so entranced in my entire life!"

"I see. His eyes, his blood red eyes, that's not normal! It casts a spell for those who's not prepared," she agreed. "But wouldn't it be better to hitch our wagon to Blossom in that case? She's a safer bet. She could get ambition, or be persuaded to be ambitious."

"True, but we burned our bridges with them, remember? The Powerpuff Girls will never forgive us for trying to throw them in jail," he answered.

"Oh yes. How short-sighted of us. Oh I'm just disappointed we won't be able to put those girls away for good," she said, slumping in the couch. "Though he's right, you know. I realize it. No Towny jury would find them guilty."

"Besides, I wouldn't want to look ungrateful. I believe that he got me the prosecutor's job," Stan said.

* * *

 _ **131\. The Mayor and His Assistant**_

 _Later…_

"That was great!" Butch complimented. "Though I still don't get all of it."

"Yeah," Boomer added, "it's complicated. I'm confused, big brother."

Brick sighed. "Let me explain it again. Remember when Ms Keane said that the surest way to world conquest is to gain followers? Followers who will follow us because it's in their interest to follow us, and because they would benefit from us ruling the world? Well, we got the Practices as our second followers."

"Who's the first?" Boomer inquired.

"Mitch Mitchelson. I got him his job as the city prosecutor?"

"You did? When?" asked a puzzled Butch.

"When we were in the Mayor's house, doing chores and giving him pickles, remember? He casually mentioned that the office of prosecutor was vacant, and that he could think of no one, and so, I recommended my teacher in law, Mr Stan Practice. And he got appointed the next day! Mr Practice knows that, and he owes me!"

"Oh I remember!" Boomer suddenly exclaimed as if a light bulb suddenly switched on his brain.

"He knows that the best way to advance is to support us in our quest to conquer the world," the redheaded leader asserted. "And what is satisfaction of prosecuting a losing case against those sissy Powerpuffs compared to power and wealth and influence over the entire world? And you know what? Ms Keane is right. The best way to conquer the world is through an army of loyal followers! Anyway, did you bring the gifts?"

Boomer declared, "I did!"

"Me too!" Butch exclaimed.

* * *

…

Ms Bellum was besides herself trying to get the Mayor to see things her way. But the Mayor was, once again, very stubborn.

"Mayor, please! You have got to get the Powerpuff Girls out of jail!"

"After what they did to my new friends? _Never!"_ the little man asserted. "I mean, they are so kind, visiting me at home every day, giving me pickles and food, and cleaning my house, and what did the Powerpuff Girls do? Attack them! After I've pardoned them!"

The Mayor clearly was under the spell of the Rowdyruff Boys. And who can blame him? She learned that they had been visiting him for the past several months, doing all sorts of favors for the old man. It made him very partial to the Rowdyruff Boys.

Things had gotten out of whack ever since she learned that the Mayor had pardoned them. They had saved the day! Imagine that! They were now heroes! And the town was taken by them! But the actions of the Powerpuff Girls were the most perplexing. They attacked them after they had announced they were pardoned _! It was a most unfortunate instance of skepticism!_ And now, they were in jail for assault and battery!

She tried to reason with the newly appointed prosecutor Stanley Practice—an appointment that she was not aware of until the Mayor announced it. But he was very stubborn and seemed to have a vendetta to pursue against the Powerpuff Girls. So he turned to the Mayor, thinking that it would be easy to convince him. But he proved surprisingly stubborn as it involved his new friends, the Rowdyruff Boys!

Speaking of the devil, here comes the boys, flying through the open window, an hour after they've saved the day!

The Rowdyruff Boys saving the day! The Powerpuff Girls prosecuted for a crime which, technically, they did commit!

The world indeed had turned upside down!

"Powerpuff Boys!" the Mayor greeted.

"Sir, that the Rowdyruff Boys!" Ms Bellum corrected. "They are the new heroes."

"Oh yeah! I remember! Brick, Boomer, Butch! Welcome!" the short mustachioed man greeted.

"Morning Mayor. Here is a jar of pickles!" Brick said, handing the mayor the jar.

"And Turkish Delights!" Boomer said, giving the treats to Ms Bellum to hand over to the Mayor later.

"And a jar of candy!" Butch finished.

"Oh goody! You boys know the way to my heart!" the old man cooed, happy and content with his presents.

Brick suddenly disappeared, and reappeared with flowers and a box of chocolates. "And this is for you, Ms Bellum!"

"You're really pretty, Ma'am," Boomer greeted politely.

"And you are very smart! You are truly the brains of Townsville!" Brick added, looking at her with his big red eyes.

"Yeah. Townsville was never in a safer pair of hands!" Butch added, looking at her.

She blushed, as she was genuinely touched by the comments. They were so polite and well-mannered.

Not like the Rowdyruff Boys of before.

Were this the same boys who ate cockroaches for fun and did all those disgusting things?

And they looked so cute and adorable. Brick's blood red eyes, which showed intelligence and shrewdness, stared at her puppy dog like, and Boomer, with his dark big blue eyes, his bleach blond hair, and his big happy grin, was the cutest six-year-old boy she had ever had the pleasure of having lain her eyes on. Butch was tough, but on a six-year- old, that was simply adorable. She resisted the urge to hug and cuddle and mother them.

Were these really the Rowdyruff Boys?

She was glad they were on their side. One less set of villains to worry about!

"Thank you, boys!" she cooed, accepting the gifts. "What brings you here?"

"Why, to set eyes on your pretty visage!" Brick answered, looking at her with a big smile.

"And to make sure our favorite Mayor always gets his pickles!" Boomer added.

"And to report on having saved the day," Butch finished.

The boys, in her eyes, were just perfectly adorable! They were a mother's dream come true!

"We are here to ask you a favor, Mayor," Brick said, looking at the small man.

"Anything for my new friends!" he said, trying to open the pickle jar.

So the boys wanted something. They're so cunning!

Butch got the jar and gently opened it.

"We want the girls pardoned," the redhead said.

* * *

 _ **132\. The Professor's Gratitude**_

The two city officials looked at him, wide-eyed. "What?" asked Ms Bellum.

"We want them pardoned."

"But they attacked you!" the Mayor insisted.

"Don't you hate the Powerpuff Girls?" Ms Bellum asked, still not processing the request.

"We do dislike the girls, and we don't like them," Boomer answered.

"And they did attack us," Butch added.

"The three girls are obviously guilty as sin and deserve to rot in jail, but we forgive them," Brick finished. "And the city should forgive them too, considering that they saved the town many times before. It's only fair, and it's the best way for the city to express their gratitude."

There was a bit of silence until…

"Thank you, Boys," Ms Bellum said, shaking all their hands, happy as a lark. Of all the people, she would never have imagined that it would the Rowdyruff Boys who would get them out of jail! All doubts as to whether or not they're really turning good vanished at that moment. They did a big favor for the girls! A really big favor!

"Well, if you forgive the girls, I forgive them too!" the Mayor said, "now let's get on with that pardon. Ms Bellum, could you do the paperwork?"

"At once," she said, and she went to a computer, looked for a preexisting form, substituted the names, and printed it.

"Finished!" she said, and she presented three documents.

* * *

It read:

 _Pursuant to the authority conferred upon me by the Charter of the City of Townsville, Maine, and the Constitution of the State of Maine, I, Jay Mayor, the Mayor of Townsville, hereby grant a free and absolute pardon to BLOSSOM CATHERINE LYNN UTONIUM, for all and any crimes she had or may have committed on May 9, 2005, against the ROWDYRUFF BOYS._

 _She shall henceforth be a free citizen, and no one, on account to acts committed on the above date against the Rowdyruff Boys, could take any action against her._

 _This shall take effect upon his acceptance of this pardon._

 _(signed)_

 _Jay Mayor_

 _Mayor of Townsville_

* * *

The other two documents were identical, except for the names.

"Now, they need to accept them," said Ms Bellum. "But the girls are in prison. So I better go there and have them sign."

"Or better yet," Brick interjected, "have the Professor sign for them. After all, he is their legal guardian, right? He can act for them."

Was this Brick? The same Brick that could not spell the word 'dumb' before? How did he become so smart? That guardianship stuff was not even known by many adults! Now he was very knowledgeable in law!

"Good idea!" she agreed. "I'll call him."

* * *

…

 _Later…_

The door opened and a man in a white labcoat entered. His clothes were rumbled and wrinkled, and he had the look of a man who had not gotten much sleep. His eyes had heavy bags, and he had a wearied look on him.

Professor Utonium did not know what to expect when Ms Bellum called him. It was urgent, she said. But he cannot bear to part with his daughters in jail. It would be only be three more days till the bail hearings, and his girls seemed to have adjusted well enough. Still, her voice and her words told him that it cannot wait.

"Yes?"

He looked at the people. There was the Mayor and Ms Bellum, as expected and… the Rowdyruff Boys? What were they doing here? Probably to urge them not to go lenient on the Powerpuff Girls. The Boys, he had no doubt, wanted the Girls to rot in jail.

"John," she began.

"Professor!" the Mayor interrupted.

"Hello Professor," the three boys said simultaneously.

"Boys," he said, looking at the three with a puzzled expression, and at the two adults.

"We have good news. The Rowdyruff Boys had forgiven the Powerpuff Girls, and requested that the Mayor pardon them. And the Mayor agreed. As your father, with the girls in jail, you should accept it in their behalf," Ms Bellum announced.

What? Was he hearing right? Did the Rowdyruffs actually forgive his girls? The boys disliked the girls intensely. Why? His expression changed, as he looked at the boys. "Boys, is this true? Did you really ask the Mayor to pardon my girls?"

Brick nodded, and the other two followed suit.

A sudden change came upon him as his spirits suddenly brightened, and a big smile formed on his face. All the fear of what would happen, all the worry that he couldn't afford the bail that would be set, or to pay the lawyer, all the worry that his girls would be subjected to a media circus during the trial, or that they might be unjustly convicted, went away.

It was replaced by relief! It was such good news that he wanted to be like a little boy and jump and yell.

The Powerpuff Girls were saved!

His little girls were saved!

Hurrah!

He went to the boys and began shaking each of their hands. "Oh thank you! Oh thank you! I know you must hate my girls, and I know you'd rather not do this, so it meant so much more because of that! I can never repay you enough for this.

"That's okay. We never expected that they'd be arrested over this," the leader explained.

Ms Bellum gave him the pardon papers, and he signed in behalf of the girls a little too eagerly.

"I think it's best that we call a press conference," Ms Bellum suggested.

All agreed to it.

"Brick, you will speak to the city of Townsville. Especially of the pardon and forgiveness. For the sake of the Powerpuff Girls," Ms Bellum instructed."The city needs to know about it."

"I will," he said.

"Good. I'll call the media!" the Mayor's assistant declared.

Professor Utonium looked at the three floating boys.

"Tell me the truth. Upon your honor, did you egg Mr Practice to arrest my girls?"

"No. We did not. Their arrest was as much a surprise to us as to anyone else," the leader replied.

The Professor calmed down.

"In that case, listen. I would never ever forget the favor that you've done for them today," he said quietly.

"Think nothing of it. But we still dislike your girls, and we consider them our enemies. However, our promise not to attack them unless they attack us, and if they do, not to kill them, still stands," Brick reminded.

"Understood. Which makes what you did better. To save your loved ones is natural. To do so to your enemies is extraordinary."

"Well, we are extraordinary boys," Boomer answered with a grin.

* * *

 _ **133\. The Press Conference**_

 _Later…_

"This sucks!" Buttercup whined as she channel surfed. "There's nothing good on TV."

"It's Friday, and it's nearly lunch time, and there's no cable, so what do you expect? There's no cartoons at this time of day. Since children like us are supposed to be at school," Blossom exclaimed. "That's the maddening thing about this! I'm gonna miss one day of school!"

"Big deal! It's only one day!" Buttercup muttered as she continued to channel surf. "I want to bust monster butt! We should've busted out of jail."

"Buttercup!" Blossom and Bubbles gasped at her.

"Well, what if a big monster attacked Townsville? Then what?" the green puff answered.

"Well, we don't have to worry about anything. There are new heroes in town!" Bubbles declared as she colored. "I do hope David likes this. I'm gonna put this with Blossom's next letter to Kenneth and tell Ms Keane to give it to David."

"I'll do that, Bubbles. I'm sure David will be pleased," Blossom said, "but we don't have new heroes. What we have are imposters! They are not real heroes! They are evil! Dumb and evil too!"

The girls laughed at that.

"When we get out of jail," Blossom continued, "First thing I'm gonna do is find out who's behind the boys! Remember, the boys are merely puppets. Their moves are far too intelligent for them to conceive. Find the puppeteer, break the strings, and the boys would be helpless!"

"Yeah. They set us up, and they're the reason we're in this stikin' jail, and I'm gonna pound them!" Buttercup ranted.

* * *

" _Breaking news! The Rowdyruff Boys saves the city from another monster attack!"_

* * *

Buttercup stopped her channel surfing upon hearing the news on TV.

"What?" Blossom exclaimed as her attention was diverted from her book to the small TV. Bubbles too joined them.

* * *

" _Stanley Whitfield here. Once again, our new heroes the Rowdyruff Boys saved the day!" Then there was a video of the monster fight._

* * *

"See, I told you we wouldn't have to worry about monsters attacking Townsville! Our new heroes took care of it," Bubbles smugly reminded.

"The boys are pretending to be super heroes, eh? But why?" Blossom wondered. "For all we know, they are pretending to be heroes so they can prepare their plans for ruling the world."

"That's preposterous!" Buttercup admonished. "That's not their style!"

"True. But what are they planning? I know it. I feel it in my bones! They are up to something evil. But what? And more importantly, who is behind them? Who is it that comes up with all these cunning plans?" Blossom continued. "Look at their plan to get us in prison. It was flawless!"

* * *

" _Breaking News. A press conference will be held in front of City Hall, with the Rowdyruff Boys speaking, and the Mayor, and Ms Bellum, and Professor Utonium."_

* * *

That caught the girls' attention.

The Mayor spoke first.

"People of Townsville! Yesterday, the Powerpuff Girls were arrested for attacking the Rowdyruff Boys. This announcement is about it. Boys?"

The Mayor stepped aside, and Brick went to the podium. He removed his cap, and let his long red hair free from it confines.

"Citizens of Townsville!"

He was drowned by loud cheers from the crowd. There was shouting and shrieking, and a chant began to be heard.

"BRICK! BRICK! ROWDYRUFF BOYS! ROWDYRUFF BOYS!"

He raised his hand to quiet the crowd. Blossom was impressed. Without saying much, just by showing up, he had the crowd in the palm on his hand.

"The day before yesterday, May 9, 2005, was supposed to be a day of great news! It was supposed to be the day when we, the Rowdyruff Boys, would show the city what we think of it, and that we're going to be saviors of the city. We want to save the day, and we want to save you, from monsters and other villains that threaten the city. Do you want us to continue doing so, people of Townsville?"

There was an even louder cheer as a definite "YES" was shouted by the happy crowd.

"And we showed the city that we've changed. We showed the city that we were not like what we were before. We showed our pardon. And then the Powerpuff Girls showed up. People of Townsville, what did you expect them to do? Did you expect them to shake our hands?"

"YES" was the thunderous reply.

"You know what happened next. Then the next day, they were arrested. What should happen to them?"

"They should rot in jail!" one Towny shouted.

"YEAH!" came the thunderous and apparently unanimous reply.

"No. We, the Rowdyruff Boys, decided to forgive them. I asked the Mayor this morning to sign a pardon, and Professor John Utonium, in behalf of his daughters, accepted it. If we, the wronged party, forgave them, then you, the city, should too!"

There was a stunned silence in the cell. The girls could not believe what they were hearing.

Why would the boys do that? Why get them a pardon? Why? What evil was behind all of this?

There was silence in the crowd. "The Powerpuff Girls were your heroes. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. They saved you time and time again. You should be ashamed of yourselves if you can't bring yourself to forgive them! They committed a grave sin, but that should not erase what they have done in the past. They should continue being your heroes. You should forgive them, just like you forgave us for what we've done in the past! Should we forgive them?"

"YES," the crowd shouted unanimously. "WE FORGIVE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!"

"Of course. That, that boy!" Blossom began to talk. "Can't you see? They forgave us. They persuaded everybody to forgive us."

"Isn't this good news?" asked Bubbles, smiling at the events they were witnessing on TV.

"If everybody forgave us, that meant that we did something wrong in the first place. It meant that there was a wrong that should be forgiven. And did we did wrong in this matter?"

"No. We were entirely justified in attacking them!" Buttercup asserted, bitterness in her voice.

* * *

 _ **134\. Face to Face Confrontation**_

"Yes," Blossom said, defeated. "They destroyed our defense. They robbed us of our chance to clear our name the proper way. They imprinted in the minds of the citizens that we were guilty in the first place, and that the only reason that we're free is because of their grace!" she spat. "And look at the Professor. He bought it!"

"Shouldn't we be happy?" Bubbles argued, not seeing Blossom's point. "They did us a favor?"

"Doing us a favor? They are doing themselves a favor at our expense! They were wrong. We were right! Yet they twisted it so it would look like they were all smelling roses! They think we should be happy that we are deemed worthy of their forgiveness!" the leader argued. "I know what they, or rather, whoever was behind them, are doing. They won this round."

"Won?" Buttercup asked.

"How can we fight this? Dad already accepted the pardon on our behalf. Mr Practice tricked me into admitting my guilt. The boys won over the city," Blossom sadly said.

"Yeah. They tricked us. Then they beat us up. Then they got us thrown in jail! And we accepted their forgiveness, thus, we admitted that we are sorry!" Buttercup ranted.

* * *

…

Shortly afterwards, the prison released the Powerpuff Girls.

They immediately flew towards the front of city hall.

"ROWDYRUFF BOYS!" Blossom shouted from high up in the air.

All of the people looked up, from the Mayor, to the Professor, to the crowd, and the Rowdyruff Boys.

Brick immediately went to the podium, and shouted, "Let's give a cheer to the Powerpuff Girls!"

The crowd cheered them, and their approval warmed their hearts.

Blossom went to the podium, and Brick gave way.

With a heavy heart, she looked at all of them, and she realized she cannot just blurt out the truth. She looked at the Professor, Ms Bellum and the Mayor. All were so happy. And she wouldn't be doing herself any favors. She would look like a raving lunatic, a peddler of conspiracy theories, if she insisted on the truth.

How ironic.

She had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

"Thank you, Brick, for that pardon," she began, trying to subdue her anger. "Look, _I am sorry_ for not asking anybody else that you were really pardoned before we attacked. We were foolish in not doing so. _Again, I am sorry_. And thank you for getting us that pardon. And thank you for saving the city while we were unavailable."

She stepped back, unable to say more.

"That's okay, Blossom," he said, a smirk plastered on his face. "We forgive you."

She swallowed her pride. "Thank you for your forgiveness."

The Mayor then went to the podium and said, "Aw, isn't that cute! Now why don't you hug and make-up? That would show the city all is fine!"

The kids were stunned by the Mayor's proposal, but Blossom went forward. Brick did too, both leaders not wanting to lose face. They approached each other, and hugged each other.

"I know you're up to something evil. And I am going to stop you," Blossom whispered as they hugged.

"What if I am?" Brick replied. "Ya cannot touch me as long as I don't bweak the law. As sure as the sun goes round the earth."

They broke the hug before she could answer.

She looked at the smug face of her counterpart, and she vowed she will bring them down, even if she would bring herself down with him. Once she found out who's behind him and had taken care of his puppet master, he'll easily go down. After all, he's dumb, because what kind of kid except someone who is dumb thinks that the sun goes around the earth and didn't know how to pronounce the world 'break'?

The Rowdyruff Boys were not the only ones who would get revenge.

* * *

…

Bubbles really was happy. She hugged Boomer really tight, and he in turn hugged her too. "I'm glad this is finally over. We're not enemies anymore, I hope," she said.

"Hopefully, we won't need to be enemies," he answered, trying to be stoic, but failing miserably. "But I still don't like you three."

She cannot resist, so as they broke the hug, she stole a peck on his cheek. Both blushed profusely after that, but she was happy as a lark. Boomer, after all, was very cute!

* * *

…

Butch and Buttercup did not hug as much as squeeze each other, as if they were in a battle.

"I'm gonna beat you up. I'm gonna get my revenge," Buttercup asserted in a low whisper. "This isn't over. Not in a longshot. You tricked us before, and it won't work again."

"I'm looking forward to it. I'm gonna kick your butt like I did before," he whispered before they broke the hug.

* * *

…

 _Later…_

The boys were flying towards the home of Ms Keane.

"Won't Teacher be happy?" Boomer asked.

"Ecstatic!" Brick answered. "And once again, it shows how great Sandra Keane is. She is so wise!"

"Yeah!" Butch could only agree.

"I mean, just like that, we were able to bind the Practices to us for life, we won over and convinced both Ms Bellum and Professor Utonium of our sincerity and made them Rowdyruff believers, and annoyed the Powerpuff Girls at the same time! Forgiveness! Bah! That was the most difficult thing I had to do, saying all those nice things about them!" the King of Crushing ranted. "But absolutely worth it just to see Ms Keane happy."

"And the city of Townsville was eating out of the palm of our hands!" Boomer added. "They all think we're all noble and just for being forgiving!"

"And to think that the girls really had nothing to be sorry for about!" Brick laughed, "all to rescue them for a predicament we had not planned for. That was some foolish thinking of Stan Practice thinking he can put them away for good, but it was for the best!"

"And best of all, we crushed the Powerpuff Girls!" Butch boasted.

"This is the sweetest revenge! Sweeter than even beating them up to the ground! I mean, could you imagine them apologizing to us for beating them up?" Brick agreed, happy with the turn of events. "And we get to please our Teacher all at the same time!"

"Hurrah for our Teacher!" Boomer shouted.

"Hurray for Ms Keane!" all three shouted with sincerity as they approached their teacher's house.

End of Chapter 13

To all readers, please leave a review! Thank you.

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **DPSS,** _As expected, the girls went to jail. Brick, you evil genious, you've really done it this time. Complete sucess! You're plan worked flawlessly!_

To be fair, getting them to jail wasn't part of Brick's plan. It was the initiative of Mr Practice. But the rest was Brick's plan, and it worked flawlessly.

* * *

To **T-Dawg V.C,**

 _Why would you bring back the same two idiots(the Practices) from one of the worst episodes of the seasonal rot era of the original PowerPuff Girls("Girls Gone Mild")? I found that once they showed up, things went downhill! This is just my opinion. Please don't take it personally._

I agree that Girls Gone Mild was one of the worse episodes of the original PPG series. Though I have my reasons for bringing them back. I really didn't want to create new original characters, so I have to use existing ones. I want someone who is an antagonist and have reason to hate the Powerpuff Girls, yet not criminal, and someone who had some influence. I considered Mr Harold Smith, yet he was obviously not a lawyer and had absolutely no influence. The others are dead or cannot be used for one reason or the other, and sadly, the Practices were the most suited by default.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy,**

 _You seem to be foreshadowing that somebody is going to die... ;o_

Hopefully, nobody is going to die!

* * *

To **N. Risa** ,

 _EEEEP, I swear I felt as if I've read this before! Okay, I'm busy now but I'll make it my aim to catch up with this story!_

 _T-Mari_

Thanks. And Happy Reading!

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _Things have gotten from bad to worse for the Powerpuff Girls! I hope they get freed soon. But, the plan of Brick was perfect! They got away with it!_

 _Now what will the girls do?_

Yes, but things have gotten better for them in this chapter. Hopefully, there would be no more bad news for our girls!

* * *

To **John,**

 _Poor poor girls!_

Yes, poor, poor, girls.


	14. IV-Investigation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education For Power**

The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 14. Peace reigns in the city. An unofficial truce between the boys and girls was observed, as the girls decided to give the boys a chance. Ms Keane concocts a complicated scheme involving the Rowdyruff Boys and Mojo Jojo. What could go wrong?

* * *

 **Book IV**

 **Agreement**

* * *

 **Chapter XIV**

 **Investigation**

 _Thank you for looking at this chapter, and please, please, leave a review._

 _ **135\. Ms Keane's Happiness**_

"Have you heard?" was the first thing Brick asked as Ms Keane opened the door to her house and the three boys entered.

"Heard what?" asked Ms Keane. She was busy, and as a result, had not watched any news that day. In addition, her mind was distracted by her concern for the Powerpuff Girls. She decided to give herself a total media blackout, at least for that day. She might lose it if she was reminded of their plight, the way she lost it before the Rowdyruff Boys.

"Ah, so you haven't? I think it's best that we turn on the TV and watch the news. I think you might like it!" Boomer shouted, giddy, giggling, his big blue eyes full of anticipation.

"Yeah, Teacher! You may never know what you might find out," Butch added.

Ms Keane had an inkling of what may have happened, given her request the day before, and due to their mood. They were very happy.

They went to the basement, and she switched on the television. They waited a bit until it was time for the 'BREAKING NEWS' segment.

The first breaking news was about the monster attack and the latest heroics of the Rowdyruff Boys.

"I'm very proud of you three," she beamed, "and you three are becoming real heroes to the Townies. When you grow up, you could easily raise an army to fight for you."

The boys took in the compliment. "Thank you, Ms Keane," Brick answered.

It was the second breaking news that flabbergasted her.

"This is Stanley Whitfield. A most extraordinary thing happened! The Rowdyruff Boys, the one-time enemy of the Powerpuff Girls but who reformed and became good, forgave the girls! _They asked the Mayor to grant them a pardon_! Ladies and Gentlemen, that shows that the Rowdyruff Boys are the most magnanimous people in the city! They are willing to let bygones be bygones, even if the girls had grievously wronged them before. They showed that they can rise and be the better man, forgiving their enemies for the sake of the city! It is a memorable day, an historical event, where the new and old heroes reconcile, and hug."

Then there was a video of the Mayor's speech, and Brick's and finally, Blossom's acceptance and her apology. Then the hug.

And the applause of the crowd.

A big smile formed on her lips.

"And teacher, _this is all for you_! This is because of you," Brick reminded.

"Oh boys!" she exclaimed, looking at the three, tears of joy falling from her eyes.

"Don't be sad," Boomer said, with a worried look on his face, "we did as you asked. Those girls are free."

"No, I'm not sad. I'm happy. You three made me the happiest woman on earth!" she said, and grabbed the three, hugging them tight, before giving them a quick kiss on their cheeks. "Thank you, boys. Thank you Brick. Thank you, Boomer. Thanks Butch."

She let go. She gave short victory jump, before running upstairs. She had got to call the Professor.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"John! It's Sandy! I just saw the news! I'm so glad the girls are free!"

"Yes. I was there. I'm so glad. The boys, they really are turning good, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," she replied. If he only knew! "Could I talk to the girls?"

"Sure. Though Blossom and Buttercup was still surly from the experience, not that I blame them. Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles! It's Ms Keane! She wants to talk to you!"

"Coming Professor!" Ms Keane heard over the phone. It was Bubbles.

"Hello Ms Keane!" the blonde puff's lovely voice answered.

"Hello Bubbles. I saw what happened. Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," the blue-eyed Powerpuff said in her bubbly happy voice. "It wasn't the first time we've been thrown in jail, and Daddy made the place so comfy. But the Rowdyruff Boys were so kind, getting the Mayor to pardon us and letting us out. Um, did we miss anything in school?"

"Well, not much, and you're excused anyway," their teacher replied.

"Hello Ms Keane!" Blossom said, having grabbed the phone from Bubbles. "Don't listen to Bubbles. The Rowdyruff Boys are not kind! They are up to something, I know it! And they have no right to forgive us, since we did not do anything wrong in the first place! Anyway, we're fine, even if our pride were a bit bruised. I promise you, Ms Keane, we will get to the bottom of this. Buttercup, I'm not yet done. Hey—"

"Hello Ms Keane!" Buttercup greeted, who had grabbed the phone. "Please don't give us additional homework for our absence. We were absent only because of those stikin' Rowdyruff Boys!"

* * *

…

After all the calls, she turned around, and saw the boys floating behind her.

She looked at them, proud. Her project had _succeeded._ She turned the boys into smart young lads. Smart, and good. Well, at least pretending to be good. She still had to pretend that everything they were doing was to further their world conquest plans when they grew up.

 _Oh well!_ One thing at a time. There's still twelve years until they were legally considered adults. She was sure that by the time they grew up, they will realize the folly of the goal of conquering the world.

She looked at them.

Still, she realized something.

They were not growing up normally. Not like the Powerpuff Girls.

The Powerpuff Girls at least had a parent, Professor Utonium, who at least could guarantee a loving home for the girls to grow up in.

The boys had nobody. Not Mojo Jojo. Not Him. And certainly not herself. Though she would admit that she was rather attached to them, and even loved them as she would her own children, she was not their parent.

They needed a proper home. They need to have a proper childhood. It's not just learning and academics that was important. But also love, affection, and being able to act like a child while they could.

An idea germinated in her head. And she smiled. She knew what to do.

* * *

 _ **136\. Him Diddle Dee**_

 _It was June 6, 2005, Monday…_

Blossom sighed as she looked at her sisters. Ever since they were released from jail, and that infamous 'hug' with her sworn enemies, life…

Life had _mostly_ returned to normal for the Powerpuff Girls, to her surprise. Nothing actually _changed,_ save for the knowledge that they were not the sole heroes of Townsville. The fact that the Rowdyruff Boys became "heroes" only meant that there was a division of labor. It was not agreed upon, but it was a silent _modus vivendi_ between the two. The Rowdyruff Boys seemingly knew when monsters would attack. As was explained by an onlooker, they usually hung around the beach during mornings, so they could see a monster emerge earlier than anyone.

And the boys would attack the monster at the beach, before it could even reach the buildings. It happened so regularly that the Mayor always asked, "Are the boys taking care of it?" when someone reports to him that a monster was attacking the city. And always, the answer was, "Yes, Mayor."

And the girls were left with dealing with the ordinary criminals and sometimes, the villains too. The police had their network which always contacted the Mayor first, who then contacted the girls. The boys, she surmised, had no way of knowing when a crime was happening because they had no hotline, so the girls were left with the problem of the petty crooks.

As for villain attacks, the boys only came to save the day when they chanced upon an actual attack. And the boys always avoided the girls, and would not attack a villain when the girls were taking care of it. And she noted that the boys avoided doing heroic stuff when it was Mojo Jojo who attacked, or HIM.

Blossom suspected that either of those two villains were behind them.

And so, there was a de facto separation of duties. Which angered Buttercup. She wanted to fight monsters as it were the only real fights she had—the villains were pathetic and the crooks were not even worth mentioning.

As for the town, their affection towards the Powerpuff Girls returned as if nothing had happened. Only now, it was shared between the two sets of superpowered kids.

* * *

…

"Buttercup, Bubbles, you know we planned it for this day," Blossom argued. They were in their room, early in the morning. "Let's get it over with."

"But is this really necessary? I mean, does it really matter?" Bubbles asked, a bit puzzled, her big baby blue eyes showing incomprehension.

"Yes, it does," said Blossom. "We all know that some evil villain is behind the boys. So, we have to know who that villain is, and what are they really planning!"

"We do not know that, Red," Buttercup snapped. "Why do you think there's someone behind them?"

"Because it's the only explanation that makes sense," the leader explained. "Unless they actually planned it themselves, and we know they cannot plan very well."

"I really don't think they're planning something evil at all!" Bubbles argued. "It's been nearly a month since we've been freed from jail, and nothing's happened. Nothing evil. Only good things. They are actually helping us fight evil!"

"They set us up!" Buttercup argued.

"Yeah, but only that. After that, they're well behaved," the blonde retorted.

"True. But whoever was behind them is playing a patient and long game. That's why we must discover whoever it is that's behind them. And I've narrowed it down to two!"

"You did?" Bubbles asked.

"Who?" Buttercup, her green eyes curious, demanded.

"Mojo Jojo, or HIM."

"Why them?" asked the blonde.

"Because, ever since we got freed from jail, they also fought against villains, right? It depends if they learn about the attacks before we do. And guess what?"

Both sisters stared at her with blank expressions.

"They never ever fought against Mojo or HIM. Of course, Mojo created them, and Him brought them back to life."

"Wait," Bubbles answered, thinking. "You're right! Both HIM and Mojo attacked a couple of times, and…"

"The boys never even tried to confront them!" Buttercup finished.

"Unlike with Fuzzy or Princess Morebucks!" Bubbles agreed.

"Let's go the lair of the evilest of evil!" the redhead proclaimed.

* * *

…

"And squat...and up. Okay, legs up, two, three...arms out...and reach..."

HIM squatted, and stood up, and fell on his back, and put his legs up. He, the evilest of evil, the cruelest of cruel, was entertaining himself by doing some exercises in front of his television. He was dressed in a zip-up sweatshirt, gym shorts, and leg warmers.

This lair of HIM was located underground, at the edge of Townsville. It was like an ordinary room, but with pink to red walls. There was a connection to Hell, but the creature known as HIM preferred to stay in this part of Townsville because it was close enough to the surface to be able to catch television signals. He had become, in the last few years, quite fond of exercise programs on TV. It gave him something to do between his attempts to torment the Powerpuff Girls.

The Powerpuff Girls were his favorite source of entertainment. He was thinking of new ways to annoy them, to play with them, to make them pay for beating him up. He made a few half-hearted attempts on the past few months. But like all his attempts, it ended in failure.

There was a crash in his ceiling. No matter. It would be repaired by a wave of his lobster-like claws. As he was bored, he didn't mind his home being invaded by his favorite source of entertainment.

"Oh! Hello Girls!" he greeted in his high pitch feminine voice. "What brings you here?"

"The jig is up, HIM!" Buttercup shouted, pointing her hand at the devilish creature.

"Yeah! We know you're in league with the Rowdyruff boys! You planned the entire thing, to trick us so we would get the blame and get us jailed!" Blossom accused. "And it worked too! C'mon! Admit it! You are the only one evil enough to think of such a plan!"

"Oh, you flatter me!" HIM said in his high-pitched voice, "And how the boys' beat you up and blamed you for it! I really am jealous! I wish I had thought of that plan! That was simply brilliant!"

"Ha, you admit it!" Buttercup shouted. "Now I'm—"

"Wait, you wish you had thought of that?" Blossom interrupted. "You mean to say you had not thought of that plan?"

"Oh, I wish I did!" the lobster-like creature exclaimed. "That was so evil! And they got all of the people into believing them, without using any magic, like I would have! That's impressive!"

"But you did think of it!" Buttercup charged.

"Oh, I wish so, but no, I cannot take credit for that. I had nothing to do with the boys ever since they ran away from me all those months ago," he said as he lay on his back and stretched his legs and made movements with it like he was riding a bicycle. " _Ungrateful little wretches_! Me and Mojo were arguing who would be the best parent, when they shouted that they don't care, that their only goal was your destruction. It actually made me cry! Though they hadn't done a good job, as you're still alive. But what can you do?"

"So, you had nothing to do with whatever plans they were doing or had done last month?" asked Bubbles.

"Sadly, no. You all know my plans, dears, and they all failed, and you made me pay for it!" he said, laughing in his high-pitched voice.

"Um, well, thank you for your information," the leader concluded. "Don't do anything evil. And bye."

"Bye girls!" the high-pitched villain answered, waving his lobster-like hands at them as they flew out from the same hole they came from. He had a huge smile on his face.

If only the Powerpuff Girls knew the truth. If only they knew that it was their beloved teacher Sandy Keane who was actually behind the Rowdyruff Boys?

He was tempted several times to tell them all, but he decided to let them find out on their own. Their reactions when they do find out would be so entertaining! It would give them more torment and sadness than anything he, the ruler of evil, the cruelest of cruel, could conjure up.

* * *

 _ **137\. Monkey See, Monkey Do**_

"It's obviously not HIM," Blossom said. "He didn't take credit for what the boys did."

"Yeah. If it was HIM, he would be bragging to us and laughing at us in that creepy voice of his!" Buttercup concurred.

"And HIM isn't one to stay in the shadows all the way," Bubbles agreed. "Only at the start, but he would reveal himself sooner or later. And he hasn't."

"HIM could change his methods, but we don't know that. We'll check Mojo. If it's not HIM, then it's the creator of the Rowdyruff Boys," the leader determined.

* * *

…

Mojo Jojo was holding a tweezer, delicately arranging a piece of splinter on a ship inside a bottle. He was wearing a red robe, and big black rimmed glasses to aid his eyes in his delicate work.

"Careful, careful, be cautious, don't be reckless, be prudent, sensible, judicious! That's it!"

He put the final piece, and it was done!

Finally, the model of Ferdinand Magellan's _Victoria,_ the first ship to go around the world, was complete! "Ah, my masterpiece is finished! Aren't you proud, my captain?"

He looked at a portrait his father, a painting of a grizzled, white-bearded chimpanzee in a naval uniform. He has one hand tucked inside the front of his jacket after the habit of Napoleon and smoked a pipe. A small plaque beneath the picture reads "1901-1998". Oars, a coil of rope, and an anchor were mounted on the walls to either side.

He was satisfied. He looked at his father, his only family…

Family. It was true that his dead father wasn't his only family, but the others may not exist as far was he was concerned. The Professor was his second father, since without him he wouldn't be the brilliant scientist that he was, or even be in Townsville for that matter! But he was rejected and thrown out in favor of those accursed Powerpuff Girls! Those meddling kids with superpowers!

Speaking of meddling kids with superpowers, he had sons with superpowers. Kids of whom he was very proud of, of whom he had not rejected at all.

The Rowdyruff Boys!

But those _ungrateful_ boys rejected him. Him, their creator, their father! After the custody battle with HIM, he had not seen them at all, except on TV. It was true, he missed them, but what can he do if they don't want him?

What was he thinking? It was useless to dwell on what was and can never be again. He should focus on the now and the present!

He had just escaped from prison after being busted by the Powerpuff Girls.

Again.

So he would enjoy a few days of peace before coming with another plan to take over the city.

And he would fail.

Again.

But this time, he would succeed! Because he would study his mistakes!

There was the sound of a someone entering through the opening in the volcano top observatory for the giant telescope.

He turned around. And there they were! His nemeses.

"Oh Hello, girls! Greetings! Good morning! What a fine day! Which is fine because of the clear blue sky. And the sun. Which is not hidden. Which is to say it could be seen. And is shining. And thus, it is clear. And the sky is blue. Because there are no clouds. And there are no clouds because the day is fine. And thus, it is not gloomy. And not a gloomy day. So it's a fine day. Good morning. But I cannot enjoy the outdoors, because I am busy."

"Cut the crap, Mojo!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yeah, we know what you are up to!" Blossom added.

"So, you know I'm constructing a model ship? On a bottle? Which is a ship in a bottle. An impossible task, or so it would seem. How does a ship fit inside a bottle? But it is not impossible! Not with an intellect like mine! And an intellect mine is special. Which means it is not ordinary. It is extraordinary. And an extraordinary mind like me can put a ship inside a bottle!"

"I mean you are plotting something evil!" Bubbles charged.

"Maybe. But I haven't started yet. I am yet to commence making evil plans. Because my last plans have just finished. And it did not finish successfully. Meaning that it failed. It failed because it did not succeed. So now, I am thinking of making a new plan. But I haven't yet come up with one. So _, I am not planning any evil_ , which is to say that any evil plan would not be planned. _**Today**_."

"Right. But you and the Rowdyruff Boys are planning something evil!" the leader of the Powerpuff Girls charged.

"I would, _if those boys are still evil and loyal_. Which is to say that I created those boys as my sons, to assist me in evil plans, and stay loyal. And if they stayed loyal, we would be planning evil. And we would be impossible to stop."

"Ha! So, you admit it!" Buttercup retorted.

" **Quiet!** **Hush! Be silent!** I am not finished. If they stayed loyal. _Which they did not_!" he ranted. "Would it be too much for them to go home, to their creator? To go home to the one who made their existence possible? _To show_ _gratitude_? But what do they do instead? Instead of being good little sons, _they ran away_ and never even showed gratitude to the one who made their existence possible! _Their father_! And what do they do instead of doing what I made them for, to destroy you little brats? What do those little brats do instead? Ran away and _save the day_! They became heroes! Oh, that is disgusting! Where did I go wrong? I'm beginning to think those boys were the biggest mistakes I ever did!"

"That's right, Mojo, I know you—wait? What do you mean? You aren't in league with the boys?" Buttercup demanded of the monkey.

"I wish. But sadly, that's impossible seeing as the boys turned traitor by joining the forces of good, by saving the day by beating up monsters! The only good those good for nothing sons of mine did was to beat you up! And they didn't even complete the job by not finishing you off!" he ranted.

"Um, you mean, you aren't behind them all this time?" Blossom asked. "You aren't plotting with the Rowdyruff Boys to take over the world?"

"No. Look at me! Do you think I would be this pathetic if I were? _You'd be gone, finished, vanished!_ We would have ruled this earth if that is the case, but nooooo!" he said grumpily.

"Why, thank you Mojo," Blossom said. "But behave!"

"Of course! Next time, I will not place cannons of the ship inside a bottle. _Happy_?" he sarcastically replied.

The three girls glared at him, before flying off.

"Curse you, Powerpuff Girls!" he shouted for good measure as they disappeared from view.

* * *

 _ **138\. The Letter to Mojo Jojo**_

 _Later…_

"Now what, Red?" Buttercup demanded. "It ain't Mojo. It ain't HIM."

"That does throw a wrench in my assumptions. But it's possible they could be lying," Blossom argued.

"But until we could prove they did, then they are in the clear," Bubbles finished.

"You're right, Bubbles. Innocent until proven guilty," the leader conceded.

"So that means those two are not behind the boys, and so, what does that prove about the boys?" asked Bubbles smugly.

"Well, the boys really turned good?" Blossom asked, a bit uncertain. "I would like to believe that. But if that is so, why did they lie to us? Why did they set us up, beat us up then forced us to apologise for it? That isn't anything good."

"It isn't. And I have a perfect explanation," Bubbles said, as if she was in a eureka moment.

"What?"

"The boys don't like us. It's like a prank," she declared. "They turned good, but that doesn't mean they would love us or even like us."

Blossom looked at Bubbles, but conceded that her baby sister may be on to something. "I guess you are right. That does seem to be the only rational explanation. I mean, if they were really evil, they would leave us to rot in jail, or they would have killed us, and would already have taken over Townsville."

"But they did not!" Bubbles smugly declared.

"So, what do we do?" asked Buttercup, not liking where the conversation was headed.

"Well, we try to make friends with the boys. They still don't like us. If they do, maybe they won't try to beat us up and try to embarrass us again?" Bubbles suggested.

"No way! Not to those dumb boys!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yes, Buttercup is right. They may not be totally evil, but they're still rotten to the core, and big jerks!" Blossom agreed.

"Yeah, and if they want to beat us up, let them try! We'll be ready for them, and we'll be the one who beats them up next time!" Buttercup declared.

"Besides, we're not 100% sure the boys are not up to something, or that somebody else is behind them. We'll do nothing, for now, but if we find proof, we'll act," Blossom declared. "Let them fight monsters and some of the villains if they want. Less work for us. We can relax and have time for fun with the Professor."

"What? Leave the real fights to those dumb stupid boys?" Buttercup shouted. "While we take care of the scum of the streets?"

"Why not? That's what's happening anyway," the leader asserted. "Unless we can talk with them to divide responsibilities. But since they have disappeared, with no way to contact them, what can we do?"

"Oh boy! I'm so glad that is over! We can finally have some peace!" Bubbles happily agreed. "I mean, I knew they weren't faking the moment the Professor said they were not evil anymore and they freed us. I'm so glad you finally agreed with me."

"You just think that because you have a big crush on that blond boy!" Buttercup teased.

Bubbles blushed. "And so what?" she yelled. "He's cute!"

"Enough already," Blossom interrupted. "Let's think rationally. We'll give them a chance. If they don't do anything bad, we can make an agreement with them. We can end this feud of the Rowdyruffs and Powerpuffs. But until then, we'll keep our guard. We'll monitor them."

"But they beat us up and made us apologise for it!" Buttercup sputtered. "We can't let them get away with that!"

"Sadly Buttercup, they did get away with it," said Blossom. "Let's drop that dead horse. Harping on it won't do any good. Maybe we'll pay them back, but not until this is settled. We need to know whether they are really good or not. If they are not, then we'll beat them to the ground. If they are good, we'll think of something to get them back. In a harmless way, of course."

"Okay fine. I just hope they don't become good. I want to pound them to dust!" the green puff asserted.

"Yes!" Bubbles shouted. "We're gonna get new allies! We're gonna make some new friends!"

Blossom sighed. "Bubbles, even if they turned out to be sincere, we can never be friends with the Rowdyruff Boys. They hate us. And we hate them too."

"I don't hate them," Bubbles asserted.

"Well, Buttercup and I do," Blossom retorted, "especially after the trick they pulled on us. It doesn't mean that our suspicion of them is gone. What it means is that they are on probation. If they are in their good behavior, and don't do things like plot with Mojo to take over the world, then I would admit that they really turned a new leaf."

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"Stupid Powerpuff Girls!" the genius of a chimpanzee Mojo Jojo mumbled as he walked out of his volcano top laboratory. He went to his mailbox and withdrew a couple of envelops. He began scanning them as he walked up, back to his lair.

"Electric bill. Water bill. Cable bill. I wonder why I keep that? There's nothing good anyway! 1,000 channels, and nothing good to watch! Let's see. Telephone bill. Letter from Ms Keane. Junk mail. Junk mail. Internet bill."

 _Wait_!

Letter from Ms Keane? Who was Ms Keane?

He tried wracking his brain. He was familiar with the name.

Of course! She was the teacher of the Rowdyruff Boys. But what does she want?

He hurried, tossed the other letters on a desk as soon as he arrived at his laboratory, and opened the letter.

* * *

 _Dear Mojo Jojo,_

 _Hello. I am Ms Sandra Keane. If you want to discuss the future of your sons, please contact me as soon as possible. My number is in the phone book._

 _Burn this letter._

 _Sandy Keane._

* * *

What does she mean? Does she mean the Rowdyruff Boys? They were the only 'sons' he had.

Should he call her? What if this was a trap? Then he dismissed it. The idea of the beloved teacher of the Powerpuff Girls trapping him was ludicrous. But should he? Did he care enough for his sons to take her up on the offer.

After all, they were traitors. They turned their back on him. Why should he care?

Yet, he did.

He yearned for them.

It was made clear during Father's Day the previous year. He fought tooth and nail to have custody over the boys. Against that demented villain, HIM. Even if the boys did not choose him, he was glad they did not choose HIM. He shuddered to think what would happen to his precious Rowdyruffs if they were committed to the "care" of that demon!

He went to his phone, looked at the phonebook, found her number, and dialed it.

"Hello? This is Sandy Keane. How may I help you?"

"I received your letter. This is Mojo Jojo. The genius to whom you sent your letter. That I have read. Which is why I am calling. To know why. So, I can find out."

"Very well. You know what happened in the past few weeks. Meet me in my house tomorrow morning, and we can discuss things privately. Tell no one, and make sure no one sees you."

"Why all this secrecy? Why all the hush? Is it delicate? Is it sensitive? Why is it there a need for secrecy?"

"Just do it, okay?"

"Okay. I will keep quiet. I will keep it a secret."

* * *

 _ **139\. The Meeting of the Teacher and the Genius**_

 _The next day, June 7, 2005, Tuesday…_

It was eight in the morning.

Ms Keane was nervous. Did she make the right decision?

This was perhaps the biggest gamble she'd taken during her entire life. Even bigger than the gamble that she could turn the Rowdyruff Boys good.

Why did she do this?

It was really simple. She wanted the boys to grow up normally. With a normal family. And since Mojo Jojo was the only real family they had, he would have to do. Yet it risked everything she was working towards. What if they became, or rather remained, evil because of Mojo?

But she had a plan. It was a high-risk gamble, but it was worth it.

She loved the Rowdyruff Boys too much to deny them this chance.

It was only fair for them that they get to experience paternal love.

She heard a knock.

She opened the door.

It was Mojo.

"Come in!" she said.

He entered, and closed the door behind her. She almost didn't recognize him.

He was wearing a brown trench coat and an oversized fedora hat, hiding his oversized brain. He really looked ridiculous, although Ms Keane had to admit that it was effective in concealing his identity.

"I am here. I have arrived. I came as you bade me. What is it that you want to discuss and talk about? Why am I here?"

"Let us first agree that whatever is discussed here will remain here," she began.

"It is agreed. This is a secret meeting. Classified. And should remain inside these four walls."

"Tea? Or Coffee?" she offered.

"It's morning, and I'm a bit sleepy, so I need something to give me energy, and by that, I mean a hot drink that will quicken your blood. And that hot drink to quicken the blood would be coffee. With sugar and cream."

She directed him to sit on the couch. She went to the kitchen, and returned with a cup of hot coffee.

He took it, and sipped. "Ah, your coffee is divine!" he said, savoring the taste. "Not like the stuff the groceries sell. How could they call those things 'coffee?' It is intolerable! And seeping your delightful brew, the things the grocery calls coffee is an utter abomination! How can they sell those things? I insist that you tell me where you get this coffee."

"Thank you. I got my coffee from my parents. They have a special brew. So, how's life?"

"I just got defeated by those accursed Powepuff Girls, and I haven't formulated a new plan," he said. "How about you?"

"Things happened," she said enigmatically. "Let's begin, shall we?"

"Yes, we should. Let's talk business. Let's start and be serious. No more small talk."

"It's about the Rowdyruff Boys."

He stopped his drinking and looked at the teacher. "Go on."

"I am teaching, or rather, tutoring them in my home," she began. "I am teaching them math, English, History, Science and other subjects. But, I need your help."

He had a dumbfounded look on his face when he heard it, his eyes wide, staring at her. "How could I help?" he finally said when he could speak.

"I am a very knowledgeable teacher, and I know a lot of things, especially those needed by a kindergarten or an elementary teacher. However, I am running out of things to teach them on certain subjects."

"Those subjects being?"

"Math and Science. I am not a scientific genius like you or John Utonium. So, I think it's better if someone who is should take over those subjects."

"Obviously, only someone like me could them teach science and math," the evil genius gloated.

"Right. So, would you then?"

"Maybe. But answer me this question. Are you the reason why they are turning good all of a sudden?" Mojo Jojo demanded.

"Oh, they are not good. They don't think themselves as good," she began.

"What? How can that be? They are saving the day from the monsters, and they saved the Powerpuff Girls from being jailed!" he accused.

"It is true, I am the reason they are _doing_ good things, but they are far from good persons."

"What do you mean? How can that be?"

"I'll tell you later. For now, do you accept the offer?"

"What do I get? How much would I get paid?"

" _You get paid nothing_. You get the privilege of teaching the future Emperor of the World and his Prime Minister and General."

"What?" asked Mojo, mystified by her words.

"Do you accept, or no?"

"Fine, I'll accept, as long as you give me a regular supply of that coffee," he mumbled without hesitation. "I cannot leave the education of my sons on your hands alone. What do you mean future Emperor of the World?"

"I'll explain later," she said. She was happy. Her hunch was correct. It seemed that Mojo Jojo still cared for his sons. After all, why would he agree to teach them for free? "And it's a deal on the coffee. Let me brief you on where we are in science and math."

"Before that, tell me, how?" he asked in an uncharacteristic succinct question.

"How what?" she asked innocently.

"Don't play games, with me, Teacher of the Powerpuff Girls! I created the boys to be evil! So how could you persuade them to renounce evil? How did you persuade them to be good? How did you persuade them to save the city? They should be terrorizing the city, you know! And making the Powerpuff Girls pay!"

"Let's see. _They did not renounce evil. They did not decide to be good. They saved the city as part of their plan to conquer the world. And they did make the Powerpuff Girls pay._ Any other questions?"

"What?"

"I'll explain later. But first, I need to brief you where we are in science and in Math, so you can prepare your lessons. Is Monday fine? About four in the afternoon?"

"Yes, that time would be ideal."

"Excellent!"

…

* * *

 _The next Monday, June 13, 2005..._

It was about four in the afternoon.

Mojo Jojo grumbled. Just why did he accept teaching for free? Why? He did not even hesitate! He was evil! He doesn't do things for charity! That would be unthinkable!

Yet he knew why.

He wanted to see his three sons that badly. And he wanted to raise them, or if he cannot, he wanted to impart his knowledge.

He wondered how his children fared under Ms Keane's care. He wanted to know how and why they turned out the way they were. _Good_. But Sandy Keane told him that they were saving city as part of their plan to conquer the world. Surely, that was nonsense. He knew how to conquer the world, and it was not by being a goody two-shoes. Sure, he failed most of the time, but that wasn't the point!

He knocked.

There was no answer.

He wondered whether she was home.

He saw the doorbell.

He rang it.

He waited.

The door opened.

"Mojo! I'm sorry, I was in the basement. Class has already started. Come, come, I'm going to introduce you."

He entered without saying a word, removed his trench coat and hat, revealing he was wearing a blue suit and black tie.

She led him to the top of the basement. "Look, stay here. Wait until I say, 'And here's your new science teacher!' then come down and introduce yourself."

"Understood."

Sandy Keane went downstairs, her footsteps loud on the wooden staircase.

"Okay class, we're finished with English. It's time for science!"

There was a cheer, and two groans.

"But, I think it's better if someone else teach you science!" she suggested. "And here is your new science teacher."

What was he supposed to do again?

"I said, here is your new science teacher!" she said in a much louder voice.

Oh, that was his cue.

* * *

 _ **140\. Family Reunion**_

He went down the stairs, and into the basement converted into a classroom for three.

There was a deafening silence as he stared at the three boys, and they stared at him.

How they changed! They were a little bigger, if only an inch taller, but that was expected since it was nearly a year since he last saw them in person. Their clothes were the same style and color, yet clean, neat, and new. Their hair, with the exception of Brick's long hair, was the same as when they were first resurrected. Their big eyes were the same. Blood red, dark blue, dark green, yet there was something different. Those eyes were intelligent, brilliant, and evil.

They were not the ragamuffins that they were when he last saw them! Truly, Teacher Keane had wrought miracles!

He suddenly felt some pain on his stomach, and he doubled over. There was a fist buried in his tummy. It was Butch.

 _Typical._

"Boys!" she gasped.

"Don't worry, Teacher! He's a villain! He escaped from jail. And I'm sure he's not pardoned," Brick said, in an accent and tone that was different from when he last saw him. He spoke English better.

"Ain't nuttin' they can do!" the leader continued.

And he reverted to his old speaking habits.

"Yeah! We're gonna save you from Pops!" Boomer added as he flew defensively in front of Teacher.

"Take that for attacking our Teacher!" Butch finished, and he kicked him.

"STOP IT! HE'S THE NEW TEACHER IN SCIENCE AND MATH!" she shouted, and three boys stopped. "Boys, apologize to him."

"But Teacher—" Brick began.

"He's not attacking me. Now apologize!" she ordered.

The leader bowed. "We're sorry, Pops."

"Yeah, Pops. We thought you're attacking Ms Keane," Boomer added.

"And we never imagined you'd be our new science teacher," Butch apologized.

None sounded sincere.

Mojo Jojo was used to being beat up by superpowered children, so he stood up, and dusted himself. He should never have agreed to it. He looked at the three boys.

Suddenly, he went over and hugged them. "My boys! I missed you so much! How you've grown! And you look so smart!"

The three easily pried themselves out of his grip, but afraid of her reaction, kept quiet.

"Now, go back to your seats," she ordered, and the three obeyed.

Mojo was amazed. How was she able to get them to follow her orders, just like that?

"Mojo Jojo is your new science and math teacher. I have taught you all that I know in those two subjects, and Mojo here will take over. Given the secrecy of our arrangements, he's the best choice. Now, introduce yourselves."

"Do we have to? Our full names?" Brick asked, his red eyes pleading.

"Yes, your full names."

"I'll go first. I am the Duke of Destruction, Boomer David Jojo!" the blond proclaimed.

What? They took his name as their surname?

"And I am the Baron of Berserk, Butch Bryan Jojo!" the green-eyed ruff announced.

"And I am the greatest! I am the future Emperor! I am the Master Masher! The King of Crushing! I am Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, the Bludgeoner!"

"You took my name?" Mojo asked, stupefied. "As your second name? Your surname? Your name that you will pass to your children and will live through the generations?"

"You're our father, Pops! Of course, we will!" Brick said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That was the most touching thing!" he said, tears falling from his eyes. They recognized him as their father, despite everything!

"Mojo, could you introduce yourself?"

"Oh yes. I am the one, the only, single solitary doer of dastardly deeds! Purveyor of pestilence and deliverer of lawlessness! Menace to mankind! I am bad! I am evil! I am Mojo Jojo!" he began. "That is who I am to you. As I am your father, your sire, your creator, that is to say the one responsible for you existing in this world, which is to say that without me, you are not here, and you would not be here if it were not for me!"

"Get on with it!" Butch shouted.

"Silence! I am not yet done. But enough of my personal relations to you. For I am here not for those personal reasons. No, not for reasons that are personal, that is to say, things related to my personal life, but reasons that are professional, which is by definition, about things about work, which is why I am here, for professional reasons relating to work!

"I am your instructor, and the person who will be teaching you from this point forward. That is to say, that as you are here representing the students of the class, I am here, representing the teacher of the class, and as it is my job to teach, it is your job to learn. And learning, gain more intelligence that you currently have.

"Specifically, I am your instructor for the subjects of Science, that is to say, a subject to deal with a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe, but more specifically, that of the natural sciences, which is concerned with the description, prediction, and understanding of natural phenomena, based on observational and empirical evidence.

"I also am an instructor for Mathematics, which deals with numbers, and how to count, and how to compute, which is obviously very important to your lives and thus, you would learn how to count and to compute better, than before I started to teach you!"

He stopped when he noticed that his students were not listening. Brick was pretending to listen, but his eyes indicated that he was in another place. Boomer was drawing, while Butch was plain sleeping.

"Thank you, Mr Mojo for that introduction," Ms Keane said, taking advantage of his pause.

"But I am not finished with my introduction—" he complained. "I am not yet finished telling them that I am their science and Math teacher!"

"Oh, I think that is enough," she said. "Now, class, pay attention!"

The three boys snapped in attention, their eyes on her.

"He will be your math and science teacher. You will treat him as you treat me, when I am teaching. You will respect him, and you will obey him as a student obeys a teacher. I will remain here to observe you, and any disrespect would be dealt with in the usual way, understood?" she ordered.

"Understood, Teacher!" the three boys said in unison.

* * *

 _ **141\. The Proposal**_

 _Later…_

There was a break during the teaching. The boys were eating snacks in the basement, while Ms Keane and Mojo were talking in the living room.

"So, how did you do it? And by that, I mean, how did you end up with them as your students? They are powerful! If they do not want to become students, they will not become students. Yet they did become students. Which meant they wanted to be your students," he asked.

"That is true. They approached me, and asked me to teach them. And I agreed."

"Why?"

"Because I felt sorry for them. They were dirty, and were ignorant," she said. "I want them to become smart."

"No, I meant why did they ask you to teach them?"

"They wanted to be smart to defeat the Powerpuff Girls in battle."

"And they achieved it using ingenious tactics. I watched it on TV by pressing a button on a remote control and going to the news channel. And those tactics were the cause of their victory, which is to say, it is not purely on their strength and power to which they were nearly equal to the Powerpuff Girls, but to the use of their minds to deduce the correct application of such strength and power to the achievement of their aim, which is to defeat the Powerpuff Girls. Congratulations. You did make them smart, which they are not before they became your students."

"They are one my proudest achievements."

"Listen. I want to take them in. They are my sons, after all, and I demand that I be given custody over them! Inasmuch as you have custody over them. Which even though you did a good job, I admit, since they did become smart and polite, which every boy must learn, if he would not become a boor and an ignorant waif, still, you are no relation to them. _And I am still their father_ , and I consider them my sons, and they consider me my father, as they called me Pops, which is another term for father, and they took my name as my family name, clearly a recognition that I am their sire, their father, their creator!"

"Oh, I do not have custody over them. You should ask them instead," she said.

"You do not have custody over them? You do not have parental authority over them? But they obey you! They follow your instructions! And they are afraid of not doing what you say! Which meant that you have authority, and that authority is parental! I am supposed to have parental authority, yet even when I had it, back when I first created them, they never respected me or obeyed me as they respect and obey you.

"My authority is that of teacher. As far as parental authority, how can I? I am not their mother. No, it's their choice. Ask them."

"But how can I ask them? They do not respect me!"

"That's for you to decide," she answered, her blue eyes looking at him as he was deep in thought.

"Very well. But tell me this. Are they good or are they not? Their deeds tell me they are good, but their eyes tell me they are still evil, that they are bad, that they are not good, that is to say, they are doing good, but are still evil. And what is this business of being Emperor and ruling the world?"

"They are still thinking of themselves as evil. They were created with the goal of destroying the Powerpuff Girls, right? Ask yourself, why wasn't the girls destroyed yet?"

"They became good."

"No. They changed goals. Do you know what is their new goal?"

"I admit I am stumped, puzzled, mystified, and baffled, and that is to say, I have no idea, as their actions would tell one thing, but their words tell another. So, I am flummoxed."

"They wanted to conquer the world."

"But…. They are not doing anything to conquer the world!"

"They are preparing for it. For you see, I told them that the best way to conquer the world is to be smart and intelligent, and then, to gain as many followers as possible, because whoever tried to conquer the world by himself? All had armies, and followers! But they cannot gain followers if they are uneducated boors."

Mojo was speechless.

"And they cannot rule the world and gain followers if they are kids. So, they will not try to actually conquer the world until they are adults. In the meantime, they will prepare. They will gain knowledge. And they will gain followers. How will they gain followers?"

"By becoming popular? A darling to the people? Someone who people likes? Become a hero."

"Exactly. They will pretend to be good in the preparation, act like a hero to gain a reputation and followers, so that when it is time, people will flock to their banners, people who would willingly serve them and want your children to become rulers of the world, who would die for them, and their cause."

"So, all this was part of a plot to conquer the world when they grow up?"

" _Yes_."

"That is the most ingenious plan I've ever heard! Better, I admit, than any plans I have made!" he said. "I want to be part of it!"

"So, you want to take custody of your children?"

"Yes."

"But I cannot force them. You must talk to them."

"I cannot. But if you help me, perhaps nudge them in the proper direction?"

"Maybe. If I do that. But I have my conditions."

"What is it?"

"Give them a proper home."

"What?"

"Listen. The boys are growing up. Academically, they are going to be fine. They have the manners and social skills to navigate their way. But they are not growing up properly. They are not playing like ordinary six-year-olds. They do not have friends their age. Where are their toys? They need love and affection that only a parent could give them. Someone to guide them day-to-day, to punish them when they do wrong, to reward them when they do right, always with love and affection. I want them to grow up as well-adjusted human beings. I do not want to be under the rule of emotionally stunted men, right?"

"I see what you mean. Agreed."

"And you will stop crime."

"What?"

"Yes. If you want my help, while they were growing up, you must lead an upright, law-abiding life. I cannot have them grow up under an active criminal, can I?"

"Are you asking me to turn good? I cannot do that! That would be against my very being!"

"No, I am not asking you to be good. I am asking you to pretend to be good!" she said, "like the boys are doing. But you are, in reality, helping them prepare for ruling the world. If you do that, they will honor you."

"But how could I sustain myself without stealing?"

"Patent some of your inventions. You'd rake it in, since nobody could invent the things you invent. You'd be the new Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, and just like them, you'd be filthy rich."

"But I am a wanted criminal!"

"The Mayor could pardon you. It could easily be arranged."

* * *

 _ **142\. Reflections**_

Mojo Jojo was deep in thought. Who was this Ms Keane, demanding that he refrain from doing evil? Look at his boys! They still think they were evil, and they would conquer the world when they were older, but in reality, _Ms Keane was making them soft_! Making sure that they would not try to conquer the world when they grow up! She was making them into goody two-shoes without them even realizing it! And she would succeed because there would be under her complete influence, with nobody to set them right and to make sure they continue on the evil path!

Nobody to set them right.

Unless…

He could set them right. He could make sure that they stayed on the path to world domination. He could make sure that they will never lose sight of their end goal. He would also coach them on how to take over the world with their new army and followers, and how to win friends and influence people.

He will make sure that they will never forget their new goal, their new destiny. And that the pretense of being good would remain that—merely a pretense.

But what about the Powerpuff Girls? Does that mean he had to give up that goal of destroying them?

Bah! Who was he kidding? In his current path, he was no nearer to his goal of destroying the girls.

But when it's time, the Powerpuff Girls would oppose the Rowdyruff Boys in conquering the world. And the boys would defeat the girls in battle, and this time, the boys would not let the girls go since it would interfere in their world domination plans.

It practically writes itself! The Powerpuff Girls would be doomed. In twelve or fifteen years, perhaps, but doomed nonetheless! Unless the Girls allow the boys to take over the world, but that would never happen, seeing as the girls were too good to let that happen.

He would have his revenge on the Powerpuff Girls! Delayed perhaps, but still it would be his revenge! Muahahahaha!

Who says that he can't have his cake and eat it too?

And to think that the girls earlier accused him of plotting with the Rowdyruff Boys to take over the world!

 _Now it's true!_

"Mojo?"

"Okay. I agree. I will do no more evil, if I have the custody of my sons. I will just become filthy rich, and raise them to be model citizens, in preparation of ruling the world!"

"Thank you. I will help you as much as I can, but I cannot guarantee that they would want to be under you, growing up," she said.

"Yes, that would be a problem," he conceded. Oh, how he wish he could persuade them. But how? They despise him. But why? What did Mojo Jojo do to the boys that made him such a despicable creature?

"For now, I advise that you continue teaching them. Everyday. Maybe they will warm up to you."

"Yes. That is the best plan."

* * *

 _Later…_

"Now thank your new science teacher, and say goodbye," she commanded.

All three boys stood up, and said in unison, "Thank you, Pops. Goodbye, and see you again tomorrow!"

"Thank you too, for listening to me, and hearing me talk about the area of my expertise, science and math. You have now learned, which is to say, your knowledge in science and math, the subjects that I had the pleasure of teaching you, now is greater than before I entered, since I, Mojo Jojo, your father and teacher, had taught you. Now, the two hours allotted as time for class is now finished, and the time for leaving has now begun. See you tomorrow, which is the day that will begin after the passing of tonight's midnight hour."

The three boys turned toward Ms Keane. "Goodbye and thank you, Ms Keane. See you tomorrow."

"See you boys too," she said.

The three boys floated, and the two adults followed. Brick got something from his pocket, wrapped in a piece of paper, and gave it to Ms Keane.

"What's that?" the chimpanzee asked.

"Carbon," was Brick's one word reply.

After saying their farewells, the three boys left, leaving Ms Keane and Mojo Jojo.

"Well, I must be going. Goodbye, farewell, and see you again tomorrow, which is the day after today, where I will resume my teaching of my sons, to increase their knowledge and to prepare them for their destiny."

"Yes, goodbye," she said.

As she watched Mojo Jojo, clad in his trenchcoat and giant hat, she began to reflect.

What she making the right decision?

Her plan was that, in living as a law-abiding citizen for the twelve years that it would take the Rowdyruff Boys to grow up, Mojo, like the boys, would love the peaceful life so much that they won't want to give it up, and thus, they would see the futility of conquering the world, and how utterly impossible it was and how fanciful such an idea would be.

They would grow and mature, and limit themselves to achievable goals.

At least, that was her hope.

Still, would that work? Would Mojo Jojo really mellow out? Would he eventually give up his plans for world domination? Unlike the boys, he was an adult, who had his own opinions and dreams, and who could make his own rational decisions.

She hoped so. It was not certain. But it had to work.

Did she make a mistake then?

No.

The Rowdyruff Boys needed to grow up in a loving family environment. Observing Mojo Jojo showed her that he could be the father figure that they needed. He likes and loves his children. Under her watch, there would be no broken family for the Rowdyruff Boys. Sure, they had no mother, but neither do the Powerpuff Girls have a mother, and it doesn't seem to affect them much.

And if the boys ever needed a mother figure, she, Ms Keane could provide it.

She reflected. Whoever would have thought it possible a few months ago? When the Rowdyruff Boys first came to her, she never imagined it. After all, she accepted largely for the money. Now, she's doing it out of devotion to them.

She wanted them to succeed.

In doing so, Mojo Jojo would retire as a villain.

That's four villains she influenced to be good!

The Powerpuff Girls would thank her.

The world would be a better place for everyone.

End of chapter 14.

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Notes** :

The Picture of Mojo's father was actually the portrait seen in the episode "A Very Special Blossom." It was also the source of his hobby of making ships inside a bottle. I took the scene of HIM exercising while watching exercise videos and HIM's outfit from the episode "Telephonies". Finally, I got verbatim with only slight changes parts of Mojo's dialogue from the episode "Los Dos Mojos" (actually, some were from Mojo Bubbles' dialogue), and the episode "Mo Linguish".

Writing Mojo's dialogue is so much fun!

To **Kaobara** , _This is no doubt my favorite PPG fanfic! Been reading for a few months now and I just wanna say how great this story is. The way the RRB (specifically Brick) notices that the PPG kept on outsmarting them and the way the RRB sought Ms. Keane the way Ms. Keane tried to subtly change the RRB to the forces of good was done to perfection all the while we keep on listening to Brick's plan._

Thank you. Yes, this was a fic made to change the Rowdyruff Boys. But of course, without sufficient motivation, they wouldn't. Ms Keane would be there to actually make them good guys, without them realizing it!

 _And finally, we see everything going to action in Book 3: the RRB's plan of vengeance and even the results of Ms. Keane's growing relationship with the past few months._

Oh yeah. Book III is in many ways the culmination of all that had happened before. Revenge, and a growing attachment between teacher and students.

 _I absolutely love the way you made the RRB "turn a new leaf" because of their family-like relationship with Ms. Keane, which is in my opinion much better than the other fanfics where "The RRB had disappeared for 20 years and have come back as good guys" fanfics. The way you grew the bond is just so realistic and I love it._

Yes. The boys in the series were evil. I am firmly of the belief that there must be a reason for the boys to turn good, because if there is no reason, they will not turn good, as there is no one else who could compel them to behave except the Powerpuff Girls, and the girls cannot be everywhere at once.

 _Now, what happens next? Brick had technically already accomplished his vengeance that he's been planning since day 1. Seeing that this book is already in its 5th chapter, I can't wait to see the 4th book in this great story! Can't wait to see what happens next ;)_

Well, this chapter answers the question. Though it won't be the boys who would be the prime movers in this Book, rather they would react to what others proposed.

To **Hinate,** _Reds Forever..._

I agree. Reds Forever…

They are my favorite couple.

To **Skater1ooo** , _Well. I managed to power through this entire thing in only a couple reading sessions. All around it's a great read, and I can't wait for it to continue. All I hope is that eventually the boys actually do become good. Not half-assed "pretend" good, but actual "see the error of my ways" good. Maybe I'm too hopeful, but hey, what's the point of having hopes if they aren't high?_

They may actually turn a new leaf by seeing the error of their ways in the future, but, but as of the present, not yet. They are too proud to actually admit that they were wrong, and they believe themselves to be evil. Ms Keane had the delicate job of making them change without hurting their pride. Stepping on what their sensibilities would make things worse, I believe, at this point.

To **NightKilla87,**

 _Most of the stories on this site take place within a setting in the future of Townsville where the girls are somewhere in their high-school age, with no hint of what took place in the past. Not this one, this is the exact opposite actually, and I really like it._

Thank you very much. I do like many high school fics, though as for myself, I prefer to write something that has foundation, to explain where the boys and girls were, and how they got here. If I do a high school fic, it would be with this fic, or Allies and Rivals series, as a foundation, as Falsely Accused was kinda high school fic, but with a foundation in Allies and Rivals.

This is another foundation fic, which tells me why the RRB are the way they were when they are older. And things that happened in this fic, may or may not have profound effects when they are teens and adults.

And I love writing them as kids!

 _The first thing I have to give it to you for is how this story (along with the expected continuation of this series) is going to take place on how the Rowdyruff Boy's grow up and their personality/characterization develop as both the boy's and the girl's grow older. That's what makes this fanfic so unique and intriguing, on what would seem like an ordinary canon fic at first (although there isn't much of that relating to PPG anyway)._

Oh yes, if I have the time, I would continue this tale until they grow up, and it would build on what came before.

 _You are really skilled at maintaining the continuity of the characters, it's actually nearly up to par with something like "As Time Goes By" or "More Than Human" (you're getting there :P). Brick's characterization really intrigues me so much (and I don't even know why). It's so amazing to see someone is actually portraying the Rowdyruff Boys with a personality that isn't directed towards making them evil, megalomaniacal, psychopaths (as the original series did so (which is really disappointing considering how much potential the RRB's had)), and something other than romantic craved slaves (as most fanfics portray them as), but rather portraying them as ambitious, and strong-spirited characters that are impossible to dislike._

Thank you for that. I really like "As Time Goes By" and "More Than Human". The best PPG fics. At the beginning of this story, the boys were evil. Now, they _think_ they're evil, even if they don't do evil things anymore. As for being romantic love slaves, they're too young for that. And yes, they all are ambitious. And that ambition would dictate how they would act and how they would relate to the Powerpuff Girls as they grow up.

 _Something that you really have talent in writing, fight scenes. Really, Chapter 11 could possibly be the best fight scene of PPG I've read so far, and the Boomer vs Bubbles fight was to die for._

Thank you. I love writing fight scenes. And thanks. And yeah, I tried to make the Boomer v Bubbles fight different and unique from the others.

 _Overall, this was an amazing read, and I can't wait for the next chapter. Thank you for writing this._

 _\- NK87_

Hope you like this chapter, NK87!

 _P.S. AuroruaX7 told me about this fanfic. Thank you too!_

And thank you, Aurorua!

To **ninjarider1** ,

 _The Girls need a great lawyer to filed lawsuits against the Practices'. A lawyer who is not stupid & greed for money, a wise & realest orator like the great late Muhammad Ali or Ronald Reagan style. I bet that the Practices will shock about this lawyer that maybe a former boxer or athlete._

Oh yes, they need to. They would have been easily acquitted had the Practices commenced their suit. And yeah, the Practices would be shocked if the PPG's lawyers is a former boxer or athlete.

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _And so another chapter closes. What an ending! The Rowdyruff Boys heroes, and the Powerpuff Girls off the hook, courtesy of the Rowdyruff Boys themselves._

Yep. The boys got their revenge, and for now, the girls can't do anything about it.

 _What a journey! To go from where they were when the story started, to what they are now. All because of a desire to become smart, and Ms Keane's decisions. We see the result of months of Ms Keane and the boys become closer and closer, and they, at last, became almost like a family._

I agree, Book III is the culmination of the events of the previous two books. Though the denouement will happen in Book IV.

 _Still, it must be galling to the Powerpuff Girls to apologize when they had nothing to apologize for. Well, at least they had the sense not to rock the boat this time. Although I think that Blossom would not take this lying down._

Yeah. Blossom was outmaneuvered by the boys. Right now, she is keeping quiet.

 _So what's next on the boys' education?_

 _Looking forward to your next story!_

I hope this chapter answers your questions!

To **John** ,

 _Glad it turned out for the best!_

Yep! For now at least.

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _Sorry it took so long for my review, but I just finished this chapter today. I usually try to review a chapter before the next one is posted, but anyway, DID THE POWERPUFF GIRLS JUST GET ARRESTED AGAIN? Blossom is failing miserably in the thinking-logically department and it's causing her and her sisters downfall. I wonder what Bricks response will be to all of this? Will he be troubled over the ppgs arrest and speak on their behalf or will he just leave them to their fates? This story has a way of keeping you guessing! The cliffhanger was very well placed hahaha!_

Sadly, yes, Blossom got arrested again. And yeah, Blossom refused to face the truth, which is causing more trouble for her and her sisters. As for what Brick would do? That's answered in the next chapter.


	15. IV-Busted!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education For Power**

The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 15. The RRB gives Mojo Jojo a chance. Mitch Mitchelson's boasting spells trouble, as the Powerpuffs continue to monitor the activities of their rivals. What happens when the girls find out about the boys, and hear their plans for the future?

 **Book IV**

 **Agreement**

* * *

 **Chapter XV**

 **Busted!**

 _Thank you for reading this chapter, and please, please, leave a review!_

 ** _143\. A Satisfying Life_**

 _Two weeks later, June 28, 2005, Tuesday…_

It was afternoon, and the three boys were flying to Ms Keane's place for their tutoring. If they were studying in school, they would be in summer vacation. But Brick would not stop studying, or driving his brothers to study, just because other kids were idling around. He still wanted to best Blossom academically. Since the Powerpuff Girls were not studying during summer, he calculated, that, since at that moment, they were more or less at par, he could gain an edge on her.

"Faster! We're gonna be late!" he instructed them. "You know how Teacher feels about tardiness."

"Yeah, yeah. But do we have to listen to Pops?" Butch whined.

"We do. Ms Keane knows a lot about science and Math, but Pops is a genius. But thank God he doesn't teach English!" the leader replied.

"Pops is alright as a teacher, I suppose," Boomer conceded.

"But we still hate him, right?" Butch finished his brother's sentence.

"Yeah. I really do not like him!" Boomer added.

"I don't like him too," he began. "But Ms Keane said that we should give the same respect and obedience to Mojo as we do to Ms Keane as a teacher. And we all know that Ms Keane is always right in these matters."

Both his brothers nodded.

* * *

…

Things had been going great for them since the day they "forgave" the girls. They were even more adored by the populace of Townsville. It had the classic ' _enemies forgive each other and are now friends_ ' vibe that everybody loved. Sure, they were not really friends, but the people don't know that.

In fact, it had become such a popular scene that pictures of them hugging cropped up everywhere! There were even shirts and mugs with the 'hug' and even with Bubbles' kiss of Boomer. It was ironic. It was not a planned event. Rather, a quick decision by the Mayor. _The dear innocent mayor._ Everyone called them "friends", and the boys did little to discourage the view.

The standard story that came out, was that the boys had a change of heart, and that they sought pardon from the Mayor. They then started becoming heroes and saving the day. The girls themselves did not know that they were pardoned, arrived at the scene, saw the destruction, and assumed the boys did it. The boys announced they were pardoned, the girls did not believe it because they thought that the destruction done by the monster was done by the boys, and attacked the boys. The girls lost, got jailed for attacking the new heroes, but the boys, out of the graciousness of their hearts, forgave the girls. The town also forgave them, forgetting all about the legal notices. After all, who actually reads those things?

It was a clever tale, so close to the truth, yet not the whole truth either. Still, even the girls decided to subscribe to the tale, since it made their actions motivated by a simple misunderstanding, and thus, forgivable, without actually implicating the boys of doing anything evil or wicked. It preserved the story of the girls not fighting the Rowdyruff Boys after the Bug Monster battle.

Overall, it's a win-win situation for everybody.

There was rife speculation of the boys and girls teaming up to fight the forces of evil. It was highly desirable, and it was extensively discussed in the media and even hinted at by Ms Keane. Of course, it was impossible. The boys would not work with the girls under any circumstance. Not that they needed to, since their power and strength was so overwhelming that there was no need to form an alliance. The girls, by themselves, handled all the threats before the boys turned "good". So why can't they continue to do so after the boys "turned over a new leaf"?

The boys made it their unofficial job to combat monsters. Because of their secretive nature, giving them a hotline was impossible, so they cannot respond quickly to ordinary crooks. But they could intercept monsters from the sea, as it was too big to miss. They regularly made patrols on the beach to guard against such threats.

Which was fine for the boys, since battling monsters generated huge publicity compared with ordinary crooks.

As for villains, the boys would fight them if the girls did not get to them first. If the girls did so, they would retreat and let the girls do it. Except if the villains were HIM or Mojo Jojo. They had some residual loyalty to those two villains that precluded them from actually attacking. If those two attacked, they would just let the Powerpuff Girls handle it.

Things were going fine, and not even the utter surprise of Mojo Jojo teaching them Science and Math could spoil it.

He thought that it was the most horrible thing ever done by their teacher, Ms Keane. But once again, she showed her wisdom. If one ignored his speaking style, he was an excellent science and math teacher, contrary to their expectations. While he was away, Ms Keane told them a story about his skill in teaching. He was sentenced, as community service, to teach English in night school. Of course, the speaking style was horrible, but what was impressive was that he managed to convince his students, and all the city, to adopt his style of talking, and in the process, bring the city to a grinding halt! It took the effort of the Powerpuff Girls and Talking Dog to bring things back to normal. It was a funny story that showed his skill in imparting his knowledge to other people.

And he was hilarious! He had a knack at making the most boring bits of math and science interesting and even funny! Even Boomer could keep up with how Mojo was teaching! And that was something!

If Mojo Jojo did not do the unpardonable sin, he would be very much liked. _Yet Mojo Jojo committed that offense_! It was so egregious, that they cannot forgive the monkey. No, Mojo Jojo would remain in their unlikeable list, no matter what, till the end of time.

But he was still their father and creator, and because of filial loyalty, the boys won't fight or kill him.

* * *

 ** _144\. The Sin_**

They entered the makeshift classroom in Ms Keane's basement. She was already at the Teacher's chair, her hands clasped together on top of the Teacher's desk.

"Good afternoon, class!" she greeted as she entered, standing up.

The three stood up. "Good afternoon, Ms Keane," the three six-year-olds replied in unison.

"Thank you. You may take your seat."

"To where?" Boomer asked.

"Wherever you like," she replied, "you could even sit up-side-down if you like."

He sat sheepishly as his two brothers laughed at him.

"Before, I begin, I would like to make a very important announcement."

"What is it, Teacher?" Butch asked.

"It concerns your status."

There was silence as the boys did not know what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Boomer asked.

Ms Keane asked, "how old are you?"

"Well, technically we are two-years-old, counting the time from our creation. But biologically, we are six," Brick answered.

"You know what that means?" she asked.

The three boys stared at her blankly.

"It means that you are minors. You are below 18."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Brick said, scratching his head.

"What does that mean?" Boomer asked.

"It means that your just children. And therefore, legally speaking, you cannot be left alone."

"Oh. So, you're saying that we need a guardian?" Brick asked, catching the Teacher's meaning right away.

"That's right."

"But we don't need a guardian!" Butch argued. "We're the Rowdyruff Boys! We're strong and powerful, and nobody needs to guard us!"

"Yeah. And we're smart, and we have money too!" Boomer added.

She looked at the three boys. She expected as much. But, she was prepared.

"I know. Realistically speaking, you three could live on your own, and during the past month, you've done well for yourselves," she spoke. "But you cannot be left alone. The law itself states that you must have a guardian. Otherwise, the state will appoint one for you, and put you in his custody."

"Well, the state can't force us to!" Brick asserted.

"Yeah. Just let them try! They will know who the Rowdyruff Boys really are!" Butch added.

"Look, I know you don't like it, but you need to. After all, part of pretending to be good is to be seen as law abiding by the people, right?"

"Yes," all three replied.

"And the laws state that you must have a guardian. And besides, people will follow you all the more if they know that you grew up with parents or guardians!" she stated.

"Why?"

"Because it tells them that you have a balanced upbringing, and that you are relatable to them," she explained.

"So are you telling me that having a guardian would increase our chances of conquering the world when we grow up?" asked Brick, skeptically.

"Well, generally yes, but it also depends on who your guardian is."

Butch and Boomer looked at his brother, waiting for a decision. He was silent for a bit, then finally said, looking with his big red eyes into the blue eyes of Ms Keane, "I'm not convinced of that, but if you say that it would help, then I believe you. So, who's going to be our guardian?"

"You should be our guardian!" Boomer suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah! You should do it!" Butch added.

Ms Keane was flattered. She was touched that the boys would want her to be her guardian. It showed the journey that they've travelled together. But, she would have to disappoint them.

"I would love to, but I can't."

"Why?" Brick asked, disappointment etched in his face.

"Because I can't. Not unless you have no parents. And you have parents. Or more precisely, a parent."

"Mojo Jojo," Brick whispered, his face becoming paler than usual. Boomer and Butch were stunned.

"But you can't give us to Mojo Jojo!" Boomer shouted, standing up. "He hates us!"

"We'll never forgive him for what he did to us!" Butch added, his voice emotional.

"How could you!" Brick added, looking very disappointed at his teacher.

She looked at them. This had not gone as expected. She was curious. What did Mojo Jojo do that was so unforgiveable?

"How could you say that? He created you! He agreed to teach for free because he cared so much for you!" she argued.

"Yes. That's why we would never fight him. He is our father, though he hadn't acted as such. That's why we took his name," the leader replied. "But what he did was unforgiveable! We would never give ourselves to his custody!"

She finally had to ask. "What did he do? What was this unforgiveable thing?"

"Well, we died! And he did nothing!" Boomer asserted.

"He did nothing to revive us!" Butch added.

"He did not care!" Brick concluded. "We were in Hell, in HIM's clutches. We suffered terribly, and Mojo just sat on his big behind."

"I'm so sorry for that. But think of it this way. You were dead. How can Mojo resurrect you? In the real world, you don't bring people back from the dead!" she explained, understanding them.

"But he can bring people back to dead!" Butch disagreed.

"And he chose not to," Boomer added.

Brick concurred. "And HIM told us so. We did not believe that lobster at first, but HIM succeeded in bringing us back! So if HIM could do it, so could Pops!"

She examined them with her blue eyes. _So HIM was the culprit!_

"Yeah, HIM told us that Mojo Jojo, because we died, had such contempt for us that he chose not to revive us even though Pops could!"

"Listen, HIM is lying. Mojo Jojo cannot revive you! He is a man of science. Science tells us that once you died, you cannot be brought back to life! That HIM could do so is due to his nature, and his powers!"

"What? How can you be so sure?" Brick asked, looking at her, his eyes confused.

"I'm not. All I know is that I know that Mojo cannot bring people back from the dead," she answered. "I don't think you could blame him."

The boys were silent.

* * *

 ** _145\. Mojo's Explanation_**

 _Later, during the break, in the living room…_

"How did it go? How did the boys react to your proposal?" Mojo Jojo asked eagerly.

"Not very well. They warmed up to the idea of a guardian," she answered, deep in thought. "But when I suggested that you, as their parent, be the one, they didn't like it one bit."

"But why?"

"They think you did something unforgiveable to them!" she explained.

"Well, I did commit crimes," he began.

"No. It's what you didn't do."

"Huh?"

"You didn't revive them."

He was silent as he processed the information. "But that is ludicrous! I am not a supernatural being that could resurrect the dead! I am not God!"

"That's what I said. But HIM said that you could do it, and chose not to. And when HIM did revive them, they became convinced that since HIM could do it, then so could you."

"That is ridiculous, ludicrous, laughable! I am a genius! A scientist! I am not a wizard, or a magical being, or God that could revive people back from the dead. I did not choose not to revive them! I knew that they were dead, and being dead, how could they be brought back to life? Impossible! I am not HIM. I didn't even know HIM could bring them back to life!"

"Yes, yes, but HIM had them convinced," she explained. "You have to explain to them that you would have resurrected them if you knew how. Otherwise, this entire thing would have to be cancelled."

Mojo was silent for a while.

He needed to have custody of them. If he left it in Ms Keane's hands, he was sure that the boys would forget their destiny and become ordinary citizens. No! _If he cannot rule the world, then his sons would!_ And he believed that only he could guide them until they were adults. Only he, Mojo Jojo could keep them on the path to global domination.

"Yes, I need to explain to them, which is to say, I need to tell them why they are wrong and I am right, and make them see that what I say about it is not an opinion but the cold truth, as what I say should be seen by them as truth, and recognize that what HIM said is not true, and is therefore, a falsehood!"

"Break's over. Good luck," she said as both descended.

He girded himself. He did not know if they would buy it, but it was the truth! He was utterly surprised when he saw the boys that Father's Day last year!

They entered the room, the three boys stood up, and Ms Keane motioned for them to sit.

"Boys, regarding what we've talked about before, here's Mojo himself to give an explanation."

The boys remained silent, their big eyes trained on him.

"I am your father, your creator," he began. "When you were destroyed, you were dead. As you know, once you are dead, it is impossible for you to go back to life, that is to say, it cannot happen, and a state of death is a state of permanence, and one that you cannot get out of, as being dead, you cannot go back to life.

The boys looked at him, hopefully, with understanding.

"I am a scientist. A genius. Just look at my big brain! I know scientific facts, math, and know how the world works, and mastered the laws of nature. And you know what? Those same laws states that you cannot revive the dead! Impossible! You would have to be a god or the devil to be able to do so. I didn't even know that HIM could revive you! And knowing that, could you blame me if I did nothing, because I thought that it was impossible? **Boys, answer me**!"

"But HIM said that you could do so," Boomer objected.

"HIM is a liar! I don't blame you for believing HIM before, but now, with your smarts that Ms Keane gave you, do you honestly believe that I had the capability of reviving you from the dead, that is to say, that I can reverse the process of your death and bring you back to life?"

There was a bit of silence, until Brick said, "I guess not. We believed that just because HIM could do so, so could you."

"Well HIM is another matter entirely. He is magical! I don't even know what exactly he is! Is he the Devil? I believe so. He has supernatural powers. But could I have those supernatural powers? Think! It cannot be! For I am just an ordinary chimpanzee who happened to mutate his brain due to Chemical X! That did not give me the ability to revive the dead! HIM is a liar! He deliberately said that in order to wean you away from me! Your father and creator!"

There was silence as the boys processed all the information, until Brick said, "that does make sense."

"And believe me, if I had known that it was possible to revive you, I would have done everything in my power to do so! Listen to me, boys! You are my most successful creations! You defeated the girls in battle the very first time! You were not destroyed because you were weak, rather because of something I don't even understand. And that was a weakness very easy to evade! Just prevent them from kissing you! Or maybe the second time it won't work. And with you three by my side, we would have been unstoppable!"

The boys were silent.

"And listen. Ms Keane told me that you are preparing to conquer the world when you grow up. I believe that I could be of service for that cause. I know most about trying to conquer the world!"

"But you failed, time and time again!" Butch pointed out. "You'll only teach us how to fail!"

"It is true _almost_ all my attempts failed."

" _Almost_?" Brick wondered. "You mean all! Since you are definitely not the ruler of the world."

"Almost! I succeeded. Once!" the chimp asserted.

"You did?"

"Yes! I got the key to the world! And I ruled the world! I conquered it!" he asserted.

"You did! Awesome!" Butch shouted. "How did it happen?"

* * *

 ** _146\. Together, We Can Rule the World_**

"My boys, before, there was this thing, called the key to the world. Anyone who possesses it would rule the world. No one possessed it before. But rather, the key would come from city to city, and the city would have to protect it."

"Sounds stupid. I mean, anybody could have stolen it!" Brick asserted.

" _It is stupid_ , but what can you do? That's what really happened," the genius replied. "To cut things short, there was a scramble to possess the key among all the villains, and even the Powerpuff Girls decided they wanted to gain the key and rule the world."

"They did?"

"Yes. But I got it in the end, and I ruled the world!"

"You did?" asked Boomer.

"Ask Ms Keane."

"Yes, he did rule the world. And he brought world peace, ended hunger, ended global warming, cured all disease, and even gave free puppies for everyone," she recited.

That caused the three boys to laugh.

"But that is not evil!" Brick pointed out.

"No, it's not. What is evil, I believe, is taking over the world itself. What you do once you are in charge is another thing entirely. So what if I wanted to do good as my ultimate aim? Wanting to take over the world is evil in itself."

"What happened?" asked Butch. "You're not ruler of the world today, are you?"

"No. I got bored since with the world so perfect, there was nothing to do, so I went crazy and started to do evil things rather comically! So the girls beat me up and took away the key! But even so, that moment was glorious! I have achieved something no one had ever achieved before, and I believe that you three will achieve it in the future, but permanently."

"What happened to the key of the world?" asked Butch. "Could we find it?"

"I'm afraid not. After the incident, the key was destroyed, and thus, nobody could take over the world by the simple expedient of stealing the key, again. You would have to do it the hard way. But the harder you work for it, the harder would it be to take it away."

"That's all well and good," said Brick, "but we already had a plan. Ms Keane already gave us a plan to rule the world!"

"I know. Pretend to be good, and when you grow up, you would have an army of loyal followers who will help you conquer the world as well as run it for you," the chimp said. "That is where I come in. I could give you some education on the specific things you need to do, as well as get the things you would require, as you grow up, to make things easier for you. And I could give you much needed advice on how you're going to go on about it."

"But we want to show ourselves to be law-abiding citizens!" Brick argued. "How could we, if we're under the custody of a super villain?"

"Boys," Ms Keane interrupted, "Mojo Jojo will apply for a pardon with the Mayor. And he will become an honest businessman. Don't you know that if he patented his inventions, he would rake in millions?"

The boys were a bit uncertain, but the hard faces that initially greeted him were gone.

"Let's not rush things," he began. "Let me have custody for three months. If you don't like me then fine. You could go back to what you are now after those three months. If you like it, then I am going to be your parent until you're 18! I am already, but I would be a real parent, that is to say, I would have custody, and I will live with you, and guide you until you are adults!"

The boys were silent for a while.

Boomer and Butch looked at their leader, who was looking on the floor, deep in thought.

"Okay then, Pops. Let's try it. _But here are some ground rules_. You will live with us in our home in the woods. We will not move in with you on your volcano-top observatory. _Second_ , you will not do any villain attacks during the three months. _Third_ , if Ms Keane disagrees or decides to call off the entire thing at any point, it will be called off. _Fourth_ , we will obey you as our parent, but only sensible orders. If I don't think that what you're telling us to do is right, we have the right to demand an explanation. Ms Keane, is that okay with you?"

"That's fine," she agreed, nodding.

"Moving? I don't know. After all, all my equipment and all my stuff is at my laboratory. Do you have an extra room where I could live?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I may, but only if I could go to my lab every day or most of the day. Tell you what, I am going to go to the observatory to work as that is my job. But I'll leave early, and come back in the afternoon. After all, most of the time, you'd be in school."

"It's a deal," the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys said. "Make most of your chance, Pops, for there would be no second chances."

"Yeah, Father!" Boomer added, looking at the chimp in the eye.

"Of course, I'll need to inspect your house to see if it is a fit place for me to live in," the genius declared.

"Of course. Any day you like," Brick announced, and told him his address.

"That's Fuzzy's place!" Mojo remarked. "I visited that place when Fuzzy and I were in the Beat Alls."

"It Rowdyruff place now," Butch corrected.

"And what's the Beat Alls?" asked Brick.

"That is a loooong story!" the chimp replied.

* * *

 _Later…_

"That went better than I thought," Mojo Jojo said as he and Ms Keane watched the boys leave.

She looked at him warily. "I hope that this would work out for the best."

"It will. They're doing what I created them for!" he said.

"You created them to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, and the girls are very much alive. The boys won't kill them anytime soon," she said.

"Oh yes. But what is the purpose of destroying the Powerpuff Girls? To rule the world, of course! But that was before I proved that it is possible to rule the world even with the girls alive, that is to say, I can leave them perfectly fine and have the boys as the masters of this earth! That is, if the girls do not oppose them when they grow up. You are not worried about what the Rowdyruff Boys would do if the girls oppose them when they grow up?"

"Oh, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she said, smiling, as if she had a secret the chimp does not know.

He dismissed it. The boys won't be destroying the girls anytime soon. But when they grow up, and they started to conquer the world…

* * *

 ** _147\. The Playground Park_**

 _Two weeks later, July 12, 2005, Tuesday…_

Blossom smiled as she looked around Townsville Park. Professor Utonium had placed a white sheet on the grass. The girls then put the food, from a picnic basket, and from their nearby car, on the sheet.

It was the perfect day! It was nine in the morning. The sky was blue, without a cloud in sight. The weather was hot, but that was only to be expected that summer day. The grass was green, the birds were chirping, and crime and monster and villain attacks went down.

She had to admit, that despite all their misgivings, the Rowdyruff Boys were really helpful. The girls, even though it disappointed Buttercup, largely left the monster attacks to the boys, and concentrated on the criminals. And the boys were much more vicious when fighting villains. So much so that a lot of villains decreased their attacks. Even Mojo Jojo, amazingly, ceased his attacks on Townsville and the Powerpuff Girls.

Were the Rowdyruff Boys truly good? Had she misjudged them? All the evidence said that she did, but she cannot help but be suspicious. Something was up. Yet she cannot place it.

But why worry? It's a time for relaxation, a time to have fun with her family. Fun time with the Professor was so rare due to their duties, that it would be criminal to ruin the day because her apprehension.

All four members of the Utonium family were munching sandwiches. Each of them had bottles or cartons of orange juice.

"So what can we do?" asked Bubbles, a little bored.

"I know! We could go and fly and—"

The Professor cut her off. "Remember Buttercup, no use of powers except for mundane things."

Which meant that they could use their powers to do stuff like carry heavy loads of food, or to lift the car during heavy traffic, but no heroic antics unless the situation truly demanded it. "Let the Rowdyruff Boys handle it," he said one time. And who can blame him?

So they went to the playground, and began having fun.

There was the slide. It was nothing to them, but they enjoyed it nonetheless. They actually shut off their powers, physically climbed the ladder, and slid. They went to the swings, and swung with wild abandon, even recklessness. After all, knowing that they were invincible removed all fears of using the swing.

They even used the see-saw, though their powers meant that it operated much faster than before. And if they played with normal kids, the girls would again turn off their powers to let their friends keep up. It was really fun!

All in all, it was a pleasant day. Bubbles would occasionally talk to the squirrels roaming the park, Buttercup would challenge other kids to fights, though all the kids sensibly declined. Blossom herself played on the playground. Right now, she was jumping between Suzie and Robyn, playing jump rope.

Things were too perfect.

" _Give me your money!"_

She was familiar with the voice. It was Mitch Mitchelson! She looked, and at the farthest corner of the park was Mitch himself, with the Floyjoydson twins behind him.

"Please, don't!" the boy whom they were bullying cried.

It was Elmer Sglue. His shirt was in Mitch's hands, and on his left hand was a jar of paste.

Floyd grabbed the paste.

"Give it back! I'll give you money, but don't take away my paste!" he shouted, looking forlornly at his precious paste. His right hand went to his pocket, and produce dollar bills. "Take it! Please, just give my paste back! I can't live without it!"

Mitch grinned as he grabbed the money, shoved the paste into Elmer's hands, and dropped the paste-eater on the ground. He began counting the loot, with Elmer contentedly eating his glue.

 _Oh Elmer! No wonder he doesn't have friends except Buttercup, and even that was more of pity than genuine liking._

She flew and landed besides Mitch and Elmer. "Give it back, Mitch!" she commanded.

He looked from his stolen money, and got frightened. "Blossom! How did you—?"

"It doesn't matter, you big bully! Honestly, I don't know why we stay friends with you. Give Elmer his money back."

He grumbled a bit but gave it back. "Here's your money, you paste-eating freak!"

"Be nice, Mitch," she scolded.

"Oh thank you, Blossom!" Elmer thanked, before grabbing his money. "Want to eat paste? I have plenty."

"Um, no thanks," she said. She had already given up trying to tell him that paste was not food.

"Bye!" he said, eyeing Mitch, before running off while eating paste.

"Mitch, please don't cause anymore trouble," Blossom exasperatedly pleaded, before flying away.

* * *

 _Later…_

Blossom was under a tree in the park, enjoying a book she had borrowed from Townsville Library.

She watched her sisters contentedly. Bubbles was picking flowers, putting some on her hair, while Buttercup was doing some exercises, which, by the look of it, consisted of practicing martial arts. Not that it would be useful, since most of their enemies would be too weak for it to matter.

There were a group of kids at a distance, and some of their talk reached her sensitive ears. She had not turned off her super hearing, just in case someone tried to commit a crime nearby.

"Wow! The handkerchief of the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys!"

It was Mike Believe.

"Yeah. If you buy this for a buck, you get to own the handkerchief that wiped the sweat off the brow of your new heroes."

That was Mitch Mitchelson.

"Awesome! I wanna buy it! Here's my dollar!" Mike said a little too eagerly.

Again? Can't Mitch behave just for once? He's ripping off Mike Believe again, just like with the business with the imaginary ink a few months ago!

She closed her book, and flew towards the kids. Her sisters joined her, as they were apparently getting bored of their own activities. "Wanted to see what Mitch was up to," was Buttercup's answer when she was queried.

"What's going on here?" Blossom asked as Mike gave Mitch his dollar bill.

"Mitch has handkerchiefs owned by Brick of the Rowdyruffs!" Mike Believe explained enthusiastically, showing an old red handkerchief.

* * *

 ** _148\. Honorary Rowdyruff_**

"Okay, Mitch, tell us. Where did you get the handkerchief?" asked Blossom skeptically.

"Nothin' Doin'!" he replied. "It's a secret."

She rolled her eyes. "You're making it up! That's not the handkerchief of Brick. Mitch, give back Mike's dollar bill!"

"But Blossom, that handkerchief has the sweat of Brick!" Mike exclaimed. "And he's never around!"

"Yes. And I have a blue handkerchief," Mitch said, eyeing Bubbles, who stood on Blossom left, "owned by the Rowdyruff Boomer. It also has his sweat. Who wants it? Only for one dollar!"

"I want it!" Bubbles shrieked, raising her hands, her blue eyes staring at it.

Blossom was aghast at her sister. "Bubbles!" she scolded, and the blonde looked sheepish as the redhead glared at her.

"Who wants Boomer's handkerchief?" Mitch hawked. With a sly smile, he tossed the said handkerchief to Bubbles.

"Me!" Bubbles could not resist as she caught the handkerchief, grabbed a dollar bill from the pocket of her dress and waived it towards Mitch, who took it.

Blossom stood between Mitch and Bubbles. "How dare you, Mitch! Selling fake handkerchiefs to gullible kids!"

"Hey, I'm not gullible!" Bubbles protested, clutching the blue handkerchief. She smelled it and had a big smile on her face. "This is Boomer, alright!"

"Yes, you are gullible," Buttercup retorted. "Who knows where he got that thing?"

"Yeah. Why would the Rowdyruff Boys give you their handkerchiefs?" Bossom demanded.

"Why should I tell you?"

"This is a con! Mike, Bubbles, give back Mitch's handkerchiefs. Mitch, give back their money."

Chastened, Mike Believe gave back the red handkerchief to Mitch, who grumbling, gave back the one dollar.

"You too, Bubbles."

"No. I bought this fair and square. I want it. You can't force me to give it back!"

"Bubbles!" Blossom glared at her.

Bubbles just stuck her tongue out, her hand gripping the dark blue cloth.

"Fine! Keep it!" Blossom gave in, and looked at Mitch, "I told you to behave, didn't I?"

"I am so tired of this! _I didn't even do anything wrong this time_!" Mitch exploded. "My friends will make you pay! Mark my words! They will teach you a lesson."

"Oh, for the love of God!" Buttercup exclaimed, "Do we have to hear you prattle about your imaginary friends and how they are going to kick our butts again?"

"Imaginary? No, they are real!" he exclaimed.

"Oh really?" asked Blossom. "Tell us then who those friends are."

There was a crowd of kids who had gathered around them.

He sighed. "There's no point in hiding it. In fact, my friends already kicked your butts! Humiliated you too!"

Blossom froze. "Wait, are you telling me that—"

"The Rowdyruff Boys are my secret friends! Way before they became heroes! Way before they were pardoned!" he boasted. "Yes, you heard it right! I am best friend to the new superheroes in town!"

"No way!" Mike Believe exclaimed, his coal black eyes wide open in admiration. "You are the best friend of the new heroes! Cool!"

"Whoa! You didn't tell us!" Lloyd Floyjoydson exclaimed.

"Because they were still officially villains when I became their best friend! Now they are superheroes, I can safely say that I am an honorary Rowdyruff Boy, and Brick is my leader!" he proclaimed.

The crowd of kids looked at him in envy and fascination.

"How did you become a Rowdyruff?" a random kid shouted. "You have no powers!"

"I swore an oath! I will be a loyal friend to the Rowdyruff Boys, and that I will always obey Brick as my leader! That meant that I am like Butch and Boomer, who also swore the same to Brick!" he exclaimed. "So, I am an honorary Rowdyruff Boy!"

"I want to be a Rowdyruff Boy too!" Mike exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too!" Floyd Floyjoydsom added. "We can't be a Powerpuff, but we can be Rowdyruffs!"

"Guys, girls, you can't be a Rowdyruff unless you swear to obey all the commands of Brick as leader," Mitch added.

"I'll swear to that!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Me too!" his twin Floyd joined.

"I'm in too!" Mike added.

"For five bucks each, I'll recommend to Brick that he consider your application for the oath and the initiation," Mitch Mitchelson began. "But consider this. This is for life, and you will do as he says once you made that oath or _you will really be sorry_!"

The children at once brought out dollar bills and showed it to Mitch.

Blossom and Buttercup were aghast.

"Stop!" Blossom yelled.

All the kids looked at her.

"Can't you see? It's a hoax! There's no way that he's telling the truth!" she reasoned. She flew between them and Mitch. "Nothing to see here. Go back to your parents!"

There were grumblings, but they obeyed her and dispersed. Mitch grumbled more.

The leader of the Powerpuff Girls turned and looked at Mitch. "Shame on you! Pretending to be friends with the Rowdyruff Boys to get their money."

"Honorary Rowdyruff my foot!" Buttercup spat. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Even more ridiculous than Princess claiming she is Powerpuff Girl. At she had the jet rocket to make it work."

Mitch smirked. "Joke's on you, girls! I don't care if you don't believe that I am an honorary Rowdyruff _! **I am**_! And that's final!"

"Stop it! We're not as gullible as those other kids," Blossom frowned. "Give us credit!"

"Yeah. Those boys would never make friends with the likes of you!" Buttercup added. "How did you even meet? They were hiding all this time! They were criminals during that time you claimed to have met them!"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he retorted. "How I met them is none of your business!"

"Oh stop it! You didn't meet the Rowdyruff Boys!" the green puff replied.

"Believe what you want!" he stated. "You think you know all, but girls, you're my friends, and as your friend, I need to tell you, that there are so many things you don't know."

"You don't scare us!" Buttercup replied.

"I don't need to. What you need to be scared of are my friends!" he said, before turning around and leaving, looking for the Floyjoydson twins.

* * *

 ** _149\. Eureka!_**

"I don't even know why we remain friends with that guy!" Buttercup huffed as they walked back to the Professor.

"Be nice, Buttercup," Blossom said, "he's our dear friend, and he's just misguided. He just thinks he's friends with the Rowdyruff Boys!"

"Well he is," Bubbles asserted, and showed them the blue handkerchief. "This handkerchief really belonged to Boomie! I know the smell! It's him!"

"Look, there is no way Mitch Mitchelson could be friends with the boys now, let alone before they were pardoned. I mean Mitch was the one to tell us that the boys were attacking the city during that dreadful fight—"

Suddenly, she fell silent, as an idea was planted on her mind. Mitch calling them and telling them that the boys were attacking the city. How could he know they were actually attacking if he were their friends?

Suddenly…

" ** _Eureka_**!" she shouted, jumping a little and making a little dance in the air. "I got it! I got it!"

"You got what?" Buttercup asked, looking at Blossom as if she had gone crazy.

"Don't you get it?" Blossom asked, facing her and grabbing the middle puff by the shoulders. "Mitch! Friend! Warning! It's all very obvious!"

Bubbles scratched her head. "I don't get it. Are you okay, Blossom?"

"Yes. And I know what's happening! All thanks to Mitch Mitchelson!" she proclaimed in joy.

"Yes?" Bubbles asked.

"It's Mitch."

There were blank stares at her.

"What do you mean?" Buttercup asked. "C'mon! Cough it up, Red!"

"Mitch was telling the truth. He was their friend!" she explained.

"And?"

"Look. Tell me, let us assume that Mitch really was their friend before they were pardoned. So he knew that during the day of our fight, they already have been pardoned, right? But what did he say to us?"

"Um, let me see. What did he say? Oh yeah! That the evil Rowdyruff Boys were attacking the city!"

"Correct! But he did say that he is their friend long before that. If that is correct, then he would know that they are pardoned, right? What does that say?" asked Blossom.

"That he lied?"

"Yes. But why?"

Both girls were stumped.

"Because it was part of their plan! We had to attack them after they had defeated the monster in front of the people. Because if we didn't attack them then, we would have eventually found out that they were really pardoned, and not just lying, and we would not attack them!" Blossom reasoned. "Then they wouldn't have their revenge. It required precise timing."

"But why him?" asked Bubbles. "We would have gone to the city anyway."

"Because that is not assured," the redhead explained. "There is no TV in school. The Mayor would not have called us since the boys were already taking care of the monster. We would only have learned of it when we got home."

"But we saw the streaks!" Buttercup argued.

"Yes, but only because Mitch pointed it out. What if he's not there? Would we even look at the city's direction? We could have missed it entirely. No, Mitch was there to make sure we know that the boys were ' _attacking'_ the city, and bait us into attacking the boys first," Blossom said. "Now I'm absolutely sure that it was all a set-up."

"Why I ought to beat him up!" Buttercup shouted, realizing the implication of Blossom's explanation. "That boy is a traitor! Somebody ought to spank his butt!"

"Still, there is a chance that Mitch genuinely just saw the streak and thought that the Rowdyruff Boys were really attacking the city, and he is just lying when he boasted of his friendship with the boys, but if that is really Boomer's handkerchief—"

"Then Mitch really is their friend, and he was part of the plan to humiliate us!" Buttercup finished.

"So, what do we do then? I mean, we have no actual proof," Bubbles argued. "It's just a theory."

"True. But we can test that theory. I have a plan," the redhead said, the gears of her head turning.

* * *

 _Later…_

"What are we doing?" Buttercup whispered as they hid in the clouds.

"Do I need to repeat it? We're spying on Mitch," Blossom said as she used her x-ray vision to see through the clouds and through the roofs of Mitch's home.

"Isn't that illegal? Spying on people?" asked Bubbles.

"No. We're doing it for a good cause," said Blossom. "Besides, if it is a crime, if the boys could get themselves pardoned for what they've done, so could we."

"So, what are we waiting for again?" asked Bubbles as they watched Mitch, sitting on a couch, watching TV. "This is boring."

"This, my dear sisters, is a stakeout. Yes, it is boring, but we need to do it. If Mitch Mitchelson really is friends with the boys, sooner or later, he has to meet them. And when they do, we can find out where the boys live."

"Ooh! So, we're here to get to know the boys better?" asked Bubbles, smiling.

"In a matter of speaking, yes. You see, we are here to monitor their behavior. But how can we do that if we don't see them?" she explained. "If we know where they live, we can spy on them, and see if they really are plotting some evil."

"Like what?" asked Bubbles.

"Who cares?" Buttercup replied. " _They could be plotting with Mojo to take over the world_! Anything illegal and evil would do. Heck, maybe they are conspiring to kill all kittens in the world!"

"Not kittens!" Bubbles exclaimed in mock horror.

"This is still boring," Buttercup grumbled. "I say we go in, guns blazing, and demand that he take us to their lair!"

"You have no patience! We're superheroes! We don't do that kind of stuff," Blossom asserted.

"So only spying without them knowing is okay?" asked Bubbles.

"Yes. Cops do it all the time with criminals," the leader explained.

"But the boys are not criminals! They were, but they got pardoned," the blonde explained.

"Yes, but does it matter if we prove that they are actually criminals?" Blossom replied.

"Mitch gets up. He sits down on his couch once again. He stretches his arms. He lies down on the couch. He takes a bite out of his sandwich. He takes a sip out of his juice. _This is lame_!" Buttercup mumbled as she watched the brown-haired boy's activities.

* * *

 ** _150\. Discovery_**

 _Four days later, July 16, 2005, Saturday…_

"This is a wild goose-chase!" Buttercup asserted.

Blossom sighed. Her black-haired sister may be right after all. The past four days had been… less than fruitful. It was hampered by the fact that as six-year-old girls, they had bedtime to worry about.

What if the Rowdyruff Boys met with Mitch after bedtime?

She dismissed the concern. Mitch was their own age. And therefore, he has his own bedtime. And he does not have the excuse of fighting villains at night.

Still, it was an exercise of frustration. After the first day, Bubbles and Buttercup quit the watch duty, labeling it as "boring". And Blossom did not disagree. It was dreary. Seeing Mitch do his daily routine was beyond maddening. If she saw Mitch lay around the couch all day, watch TV, play around with the Floyjoydson twins, go and walk round the town doing nothing in particular, one more time, she swore she would tear off her beautiful, magnificent, red hair from her scalp!

Every day, the routine would be the same. It was worse without her sisters, for they at least kept her company, and they could talk about a variety of topics while they were keeping an eye on Mitch.

They were high up in the clouds so no one would notice. And it was very cold. During that first day, they had to use their powers to keep warm. On the second day, Blossom wore thick clothes, which looked funny since it was in the middle of summer.

Of course, she did not neglect her duties. What happened was that when the hotline rang, Buttercup or Bubbles would fly to her and brief her on what happened, and she would suspend her watch and deal with the crisis. Then she would go back on her post in the clouds, watching, brooding, planning, in silence.

And that was her worry. What if the Rowdyruff Boys went to Mitch during the time they were saving the day? She hoped that that was not the case.

It got so boring, that she might have gotten insane. Luckily, her sisters became concerned, and agreed that at least one of them should keep her company. The other would stay by the hotline.

That Monday, it was Buttercup who was keeping her company. It was morning, and it was turning out like the previous five days.

"Patience, Buttercup," she said, hoping that, maybe, that day, it would be different.

"You say that like it's nothing!" she huffed.

But she said nothing else, unwilling to leave her sister alone in the clouds.

Bubbles suddenly appeared. "Girls! The Professor said to remind you to come home early."

"That's not important. You're supposed to stay besides the hotline," Blossom scolded.

"It is important. Anything the Professor said is important!" the blonde declared. "And it's boring staying in the house all alone. And anyway, if anything happens, the boys could take care of it."

Blossom was about to say something but Mitch's movements caught her attention. He was with his father, and he went inside the family ride, a red sports utility vehicle. No doubt Mitch would go to the park, or to the playground, or to the skating rink.

They flew through the clouds, following Mitch's SUV through the suburbs, she in the lead and her sisters following her. It stopped…

Besides the library.

What? Mitch Mitchelson goes to the library? Since when?

His father brought him to the library, and watched him enter, before leaving. The boy goes in and registers, and went straight to the back! He leaves through the back door, and goes to the bushes outside.

Interesting.

He stood there.

"What is he doing?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah. Why is he in the library? It's not like him! He's not a bookworm like you, Blossom," Bubbles commented as she observed him through their telescopic vision.

Then there he was. Butch. Who suddenly appeared besides Mitch. Mitch wore shades.

Then Butch grabbed Mitch.

And flew very fast. The girls, remaining in the clouds, silently followed.

" ** _Wee_**!" Mitch shouted as he rode Butch's back. "Make like a roller coaster!"

"You sure?" asked Butch, with a wicked smile on his face.

Mitch nodded.

Butch obliged by doing a series of loops that sent Mitch screaming at the top of his lungs. Butch finished by causing Mitch to drop from his back, then catching him halfway to the ground.

"Again! Again! That was fun!" the normal boy shouted, but Butch continued on to where he was going.

The black-haired Rowdyruff flew to the edge of Townsville, into the forest. They seemed to be going to Fuzzy Lumpkin's house.

Butch arrived. Boomer and Brick were waiting.

The four talked and laughed.

So it was true! _Mitch Mitchelson really was friends with the Rowdyruff Boys._ That confirmed it! Mitch was part of the plan to set the Powerpuff Girls up!

Wait! Wasn't this the residence of Fuzzy Lumpkins? Did the boys take over once more?

They were having fun. They played marbles. Then they watched Boomer and Butch wrestle. Which Butch easily won. Mitch was shouting encouragement, and seemed to be enjoying himself.

They entered the house. The house looked like it was renovated for the Rowdyruff Boys. It was cozy. They switched the T.V. And they plugged the console. It was, if she wasn't mistaken, a Sony Playstation 2.

"I think we can leave," said Blossom.

"But it's getting interesting!" Bubbles argued, staring at the boys, and giggling.

"It is, but we already know what we need," said Blossom. "They live here."

"But Fuzzy—" Buttercup argued.

"Was a distraction. It was obvious that they put Fuzzy in the house just after they beat us up after the bug monster incident," Blossom said, "and like the fools we were, we fell for it. When in fact, it was the Rowdyruff Boys' home all along. And I think I'm sure there's someone behind him."

"Why?" Buttercup asked.

"Look at that house. It's better than Fuzzy's old shack. It's bigger. It's built for a family. It's actually a home! It has electricity and running water. Someone paid for all of that. I know it. There wasn't any robbery during the past months to indicate that they stole their things," the redhead concluded before she flew in the direction of Townsville.

"So, what do we do?" Bubbles asked.

"Oh, we monitor their home, and see if the villain behind them would visit," she said, sure of herself.

"Thank you Mitch Mitchelson!" Buttercup shouted as they flew. "Who knew that he was actually friends with those jerks?"

"Well birds of the same feather!" Bubbles exclaimed.

* * *

 ** _151\. Mojo's Visit_**

 _One week later, July 23, 2005, Saturday…_

Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo! Oh how the Rowdyruff leader loved that name! It was his badge, the mark of his new identity, of his future destiny, as well as a tie to his past, and his origins. Brick, he chose himself. Why, he did not know. It just seemed right. Jojo was the name of his father. His middle names were the mark of his new life.

No event in his life since they were taken in by Ms Keane and pretended to be "good" had more impact than Mojo's return to their lives. All seemed settled, all seemed set, all seemed calm. They were happy. They were at the top of the world, Townsville was at their feet, the people were eating out of the palm of their hands.

Then Mojo arrived.

How he hated the chimp!

But that was not always the case. He remembered the time when they were first created, when they announced their appearance to the world in that prison. The three looked at the genius of a chimpanzee, and they knew…

They knew…

That he was their father.

Even if they threatened him, if only to make him acknowledge that fact.

They called him Pops as acknowledgement of his paternity, yet unruly boys that they were, they heaped their own brand of disrespect upon their creator. In Mojo had not directed their raw violence towards the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo would probably be beaten up.

Yet there was always a hint of affection in the horseplay. Witness the fact that they busted him out of jail. Witness the dousing of green juice upon him after their victory over the Powerpuff Girls like any victorious team would do to a coach. It was not meant to be a sign of disrespect, rather, it was their way, during that early stage of their life, to celebrate!

They even followed his orders!

Even if his only order was to defeat or destroy the Powerpuff girls.

Because he showed them affection. Had not Mojo hugged them the first time he laid his eyes on them?

And it all came crashing down when they died upon experiencing the kiss of death.

And they fell under the control of HIM.

HIM told them that Mojo did not care for them.

Why?

Because Mojo did not do anything to revive them.

And they believed HIM.

Why?

 _Because they were stupid._ They did not know any better. If he were a little bit more educated, he should have known that reviving life after death was impossible—unless you're HIM.

It bothered him that even with their education, he would not realize that fact until that point has hammered home by Mojo Jojo himself.

They emerged from death bitter at their creator, yet also hating HIM for the miseries he inflicted upon the boys during their stay in Hell.

So he waited.

Waited for an opportunity to break free.

Which they did. Yet hatred for HIM did not equate to forgiving Mojo Jojo.

A pox on both their houses had been the boys' attitude towards the two villains. And when they fought custody over them, the boys simply abandoned them, declaring that they do not care who was the better parent, that their true goal was to destroy the Powerpuff Girls.

Besides, after they found Ms Keane, who needed them?

Now he understood that he had been unfair to his father, his creator. He cannot blame him, nor hate him, for not resurrecting him.

But what to do?

Mojo, and Ms Keane, clearly wanted them to form a family, for Mojo to act as their father, and for the three boys to be sons to Mojo. Which meant respecting and obeying him as a father. For Brick believed in authority, and he believed that fathers should always have the respect and obedience of sons.

For how can he expect obedience from his brothers if he cannot obey his father?

Could it work? He doubted it. But to appease Ms Keane, he agreed to the three months. If Mojo could act and gain their respect as father during the three months, then they would consent to be under his parental authority until they became adults.

Today was the day he would show Mojo his house.

His house. He still couldn't believe that he had his own house.

It was about eight in the evening, and the sun was setting.

He looked at the place. Everything was immaculate. Ms Keane had helped in making the place spic and span. Nothing was out of place.

Mojo would have to decide that day whether or not he would like to move in. A part of him wished that he would not like it, thus scuttling the entire thing. However, a part of him wanted to have Mojo Jojo as a father. After all, no matter how brief his tenure was, Mojo succeeded in actually ruling the world!

"Don't worry, boys," Ms Keane said, smiling. "I'm sure he'll like the place."

"And his new room?" Boomer asked.

"And his new room too."

"Now remember, be nice. No matter what he did, or how he is, he is your father, and he cares for you," she cautioned.

There was silence, before they heard the doorbell ring.

Brick went to the door, and opened it.

"Pops! Come in! Come in!"

"I will come in, and in doing so, I will go from a state of being outside the building, and enter the building, and in the act of ingress, find myself, after the said act, inside the building, and I am no longer out, so I am in," he declared, before going inside. He looked around. "Nice house, by which, I mean, it is impressive, considering that this was the home of Fuzzy, and the home of Fuzzy, was much smaller and less impressive, that is to say, it is not fit for any habitation save hillbillies, and being that we're educated and smart, and we're not hillbillies, it was not fit for habitation for the likes of me, so your changes and your renovation made it a place where I may live, if I chose to do so."

"Well, Ms Keane helped in making this place better," Boomer added.

"Why don't you have some tea?" Ms Keane asked.

"I would like that very much, as tea, as in boiled leaves in hot water, is very healthful, and it would very welcome for my body to drink such a healthy drink right about now," he said as they sat on the couch.

* * *

 ** _152\. Planning at Home_**

"That was a very nice tea, by which I mean, it is splendid!" Mojo said after he finished his drink. "

"It's Butch's tea," said Ms Keane. "Don't you know, that he isn't all fights and violence! He actually has talent in cooking."

Butch blushed. "Thank you."

The middle ruff was clearly embarrassed to admit his skill in such an unmanly activity as cooking, so his brothers twisted the knife.

"And Butch not only makes excellent tea, he also is the best in preparing meat! Why, he could make any animal, be it deer, antelope, shark, or even monster, taste like the most delicious thing you've ever eaten!" Boomer proclaimed.

"That is true," said Ms Keane. "Sometimes, Butch would cook dinner at my home during the tutoring hours. There wasn't a time that he made an unsatisfying meal."

Brick added his opinion. "You should be proud. Cooking is a manly activity!"

Mojo stared at Butch. "I did not know you have so many talents!"

"All three have talent that would surprise anyone!" Ms Keane cooed. "Boomer is a very good artist! He can draw buildings to perfection! And he can design them too! He's gonna be an architect, or an engineer when he grows up!"

"I'm gonna be Brick's Prime Minister when he is Emperor!" Boomer declared. "I'm gonna build great cities and construct giant buildings!"

"See, even in his ambition, he'll be a builder," she said, reinforcing her earlier point. "As for Brick, I don't need to tell you his talents. Aside from his intelligence, his eyes are hypnotic, and he could sway almost anyone with those blood red eyes of his. I heard that from Ms Bellum. And he could sway a crowd. Did you see that speech he gave forgiving Blossom and the Powerpuff Girls? He had them eating out of the palm of his hands. If he's not going to be Emperor, I'll bet he's gonna be Mayor, governor, or even President!"

Now Brick was blushing.

"Yes. My sons are really something," Mojo said. "I'd like to see the room you have prepared for me."

"Of course, Pops," Brick said, "this way, please."

He led them to door in the first floor. He opened it. It was located in a wing on the west side of the house. It was spacious. It was almost as big as the living room, with light blue wallpaper. But, except for curtains on the windows, it was empty

"It certainly is big. It would suit my requirements," he said. "I assumed that you assumed that I would move my bed and other personal belongings here. That is why the place is empty, is that right?"

"Yes," Brick said, "now, we have one more thing to show you. Please follow me."

He led them across the living room, to another door leading to the east wing at the opposite side of Mojo's new room. It was very big. The only items in the room was a long table, a giant whiteboard, cabinets, a fan in the ceiling. The walls were painted white.

"What is this?" the genius asked.

"Well, Mojo, since you are a scientist, we decided that you should have your own personal lab, just in case you can't go to your volcano-top observatory."

"This would be my lab?" he asked.

"Well, it's not as big as the work lab in the observatory," Brick said, "but then, this isn't a work lab. Rather, a personal one."

"I'll take it," he said. "Though I need to know if there is enough security in this place."

"The place is remote, so there's little chance that criminals would find it," said Ms Keane. "And there are traps and devices to catch thieves. Some designed by Professor Utonium himself."

"You got Professor Utonium to design a trap for the Rowdyruff Boys?" asked Mojo Jojo in astonishment.

"Not for them, but for his own house, after his house was raided by a robber and the girls had to disturb their bedtime to catch him. I just asked that he build one, and he did! And I had it installed," she explained. "Perhaps a demonstration would be in order?"

"I would very much like that."

"The way it works is that there is a computer running the system," she said, "and everyone's got an identification. If you have that, the traps won't work. Now, could you remove my identification, please?"

"Are you sure?" asked Brick.

"Yes."

"Butch," the leader ordered as she went outside.

"Done!" the green ruff shouted. "Be careful, Ms Keane!"

"Open the window," she ordered.

Brick did, and Ms Keane climbed in.

Suddenly, there rope fell from the ceiling, and a pair of mechanical hands were upon her. When they were finished, she was covered in rope, her hands tied behind her, and her mouth covered with a gag.

"Wow!" Mojo stated as he watched, and the boys carried her to the couch, where they removed the gag. The gag was a piece of cloth tied over her lower face, then duct tape wrapped around her mouth, then a piece of cloth stuffed in the mouth.

"It was designed to not disturb the girls in their sleep, so the Professor could call the police and take the thief away," Ms Keane explained as soon as she could talk. "Now boys, don't destroy the rope. It's expensive. Just untie the knots."

Mojo sat on the couch, while Boomer fiddled but was unable to undo the complicated knots.

"Oh, just do it later," she finally conceded. "You can untie me after Mojo leaves."

"Well, I better be going then," Mojo Jojo said. "I only need to say this. This is a great place to live, and a place where there is lots of privacy! And you have lots of land too! How much of it do you own?"

"About a thousand acres," Ms Keane answered, "including all the land around the lake. I bought it cheap from the family of Fuzzy Lumpkins. After they've been pardoned, I transferred the land to Brick's name. So, Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo is one great landowners of this state."

"Yes. A good place for the future ruler of this planet," Mojo admitted. "And let me tell you, a good place to plan our conquest of the world!"

"Yeah!" the boys shouted.

"We will plot to conquer the world, and we will make it permanent, unlike what happened when I had the key to the world! Boys, let me tell you! Ruling the world was one of the best experiences of my life! And the Powerpuff Girls took it away from me!" he ranted. "With you by my side, we cannot fail!"

"Yeah! But we will do the actual ruling," Brick asserted.

"Of course," Mojo conceded.

"The Rowdyruff Boys' destiny is to have this world in our hands," Brick began. "And you will help us, Mojo Jojo. We will plot, we will plan, we will make sure that there would be no opposition. Certainly not from the Powerpuff Girls! The world is going to see a new age, and that is the Rowdyruff Age!"

"Certainly!" the monkey said, rubbing his hands in glee, and giving a maniacal laugh. The Rowdyruff Boys also laughed in a sinister way.

"Well, that's it! I need to go now. Bye! And untie Ms Keane!" he said. "This has been a pleasant night. I look forward to moving my things here. I hope the three months will go along smoothly."

"Bye Mojo," Ms Keane said sweetly. "I'm glad you decided to give the place a chance!"

Mojo went out of the house, with the three boys showing the way out.

* * *

 ** _153\. Hand in the Cookie Jar_**

 _Meanwhile_ …

Blossom was starting to doubt whether or not there was a plot between the Rowdyruff Boys and whoever was behind them. For she had been spying on their home for the past few days, and there was nothing. The only one who visited the boys' home was Mitch Mitchelson.

They all did things typical boys did. They would wake-up very early in the morning. One of them would hunt some poor animal—she had to restrain Bubbles, one time, from trying to rescue a deer or boar or whatever it was they decided would make good breakfast. Luckily, the boys killed their prey fast, so the animal would be dead before Bubbles could even argue with Blossom to let her intervene. It was usually Butch who hunted, though sometimes Brick would. Boomer did not perform a single hunt, which endeared him even more with Bubbles.

Oh Bubbles! Hopelessly enamored of Boomer!

Then Butch would dress and cook the meat of the animal, and they would eat breakfast.

Another boy, usually Boomer, would go to the beach and hang out, and immediately report if he saw any monster in the distance. That's how they were able to fight the monsters before the girls.

They would play, and watch TV, or do video games, and leave in the afternoon. They tried to follow them, but the boys always disappeared in the suburbs. They would fly through some houses, then they would not emerge. Where did they go?

So, after three days of trying to find out where the boys were going each afternoon, they gave up, and resumed their vigil outside the woodland home of the Rowdyruff Boys.

Unfortunately, they were not able to keep an eye on the place 24 hours a day. For one thing, they needed to go to sleep. And they still needed to save the day so they allocated time for crime-fighting.

* * *

...

It was Saturday. Uncle Eugene Utonium had come to visit, so they had no opportunity to spy on the Rowdyruff place during the day. After the fiasco with the hairy red-headed monster that they mistook for Uncle Eugene, they needed to make it up to him.

It was pleasant day. Uncle Eugene was a nice fellow. The family had a wonderful time, and they were genuinely sad when they had to bring him to the train station and say their goodbyes.

It was nine o'clock in the evening, and the sun was setting. They managed to persuade the Professor to let them do a patrol of the city for one hour. Since they already had dinner with Eugene before he left, the Professor agreed.

They flew towards the forest.

"Uncle Eugene was so much fun!" Bubbles happily exclaimed as they flew towards the Rowdyruff home.

"Yeah. It sucked that we mistook that hairy red monster for Uncle Eugene," Buttercup grumbled. "How could we have done so?"

"We made a mistake," Blossom agreed, "I still feel bad that he waited all those hours in the train station! And he had to leave without seeing his nieces!"

"But looking back at it, it was funny!" Bubbles giggled. "At least we made it up to Uncle Eugene."

"Yes. He was so nice, so much the gentleman! Unlike certain boys we know!" Blossom agreed.

"Oh! They're boys!" Bubbles agreed. "Look! They're home!"

The Powerpuff Girls flew down and sat on the thick branch of a tree lining the clearing around the house. "Turn on your x-ray vision."

They did. And they simultaneously gasped at what they saw.

Ms Keane was there, tied up. Obviously, the boys had kidnapped her. But why? She probably found out the evil plans of those boys!

And there was Mojo talking.

"Turn on your superhearing!" she whispered. "And listen."

"And let me tell you, a good place to plan our conquest of the world!" Mojo declared.

Blossom knew it! She was right! There was a villain behind the boys! It was Mojo Jojo.

"Yeah!" the boys shouted.

"We will plot to conquer the world, and we will make it permanent, unlike what happened when I had the key to the world! Boys, let me tell you! Ruling the world was one of the best experiences of my life! And the Powerpuff Girls took it away from me!" he ranted. "With you by my side, we cannot fail!"

"Yeah! But we will do the actual ruling," Brick asserted.

"Of course," Mojo conceded.

"The Rowdyruff Boys' destiny is to have this world in our hands," Brick began. "And you will help us, Mojo Jojo. We will plot, we will plan, we will make sure that there would be no opposition. Certainly not from the Powerpuff Girls! The world is going to see a new age, and that is the Rowdyruff Age!"

"Certainly!" the monkey said, rubbing his hands in glee, and giving a maniacal laugh. The Rowdyruff Boys also laughed in a sinister way.

"Let's rescue Ms Keane!" Buttercup urged.

"No. I have a better idea. Turn off your superhearing and let's go up and surprise them!" she said, flying high in the air, with her sisters following.

"What are we going to do?"

"We wait until the boys go out. They have to. And when we do, we strike!" she said, happy that she was vindicated at last.

"And I really thought they turned over a new leaf!" Bubbles said, a bit disappointed.

"The boys would never change," Blossom asserted as they floated high above the house. "Be careful, girls! Ms Keane's safety is our top priority."

"Oh I am going to beat them blue!" Buttercup whispered in relish. "Revenge would be so sweet."

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Brick and his brothers watched as Mojo entered his vehicle, a surprisingly ordinary car painted red. All in all, it was a pleasant night, and everything had gone according to plan.

"Wow! I thought you'd have some high-tech gizmo as your ride!" Butch remarked upon seeing the ordinariness of the vehicle.

"I would have, if I didn't have to keep this visit a secret," he replied.

There was a blinding light, and a loud explosion, and the three boys were thrown in every direction.

"What the—" Brick exclaimed. He looked around. Boomer was gaping, staring at something.

Butch, was, Butch—

Was on the ground, unconscious, a red welt on his forehead.

"Hello, Rowdyruff Boys!"

It was Blossom. He looked up, and saw them. Blossom. Buttercup. Bubbles.

"You just saw the Furious Fiery Feline!" she remarked. "A really powerful attack, and if concentrated on one Rowdyruff, it would be enough, if not to destroy him, then to knock him out."

"What do you want?" Brick asked as he and Boomer floated upwards so that they were eye level.

"Once upon a time, there was this powerful man. His name was Major Man. He pretended to be a hero! He was certainly impressive. He convinced everybody, including Professor Utonium, that he was the real deal. But he was a fraud. And we discovered the fraud! And you know what? We forced him to confess that he was a fraud!" Blossom began.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know that you and Mojo have been plotting to take over the whole world! You even kidnapped Ms Keane! We saw her tied up!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the leader said, though he blanched as he realized the game was up. The girls found out about his plans!

"We heard everything!" Blossom replied. "Give up. The game is up."

What to do? What to do? He needed something in order to save his grand plan. But what?

"Nobody's ever going to believe you after what happened!" Brick shouted.

"You will confess to the world that you are a fraud, just like Major Man did!" Blossom smugly declared.

"And if we don't?" Brick asked.

"We will beat you up until you do," the Powerpuff Girl leader declared.

He panicked inside. With Butch out, the boys would lose.

Even if they won, the girls knew, and unless they killed the Powerpuff Girls, their plan was ruined.

But they cannot kill the girls. Not without breaking Ms Keane's heart.

One thing was for sure. _He would not confess or admit to anything_. Even if he was beaten up within an inch of his life.

"So what will be? Confess, and we promise you a fair trial!" the leader of the Powerpuff Girls declared.

"I won't confess to anything!" he declared. "Nobody would believe you. It's my word against yours!"

"This is your last chance. Give me a convincing explanation!" Blossom demanded. "Why is Ms Keane tied up, and are you really plotting with Mojo to take over the world?"

"I don't owe anyone any explanation!" Brick declared, digging his heels. "Especially to you!"

"I'm glad you said no!" Buttercup said with glee. "I'm gonna beat all three of you! And I'm gonna enjoy it!"

He and his brother braced themselves, knowing fully well that, most probably, all their planning during the past few months was for nothing, now that the Powerpuff Girls knew. "You have to beat us first!" Brick declared.

"Well, then. We'll just have to force it out of you!" Blossom shouted. "Powerpuff Girls! Attack!"

 _End of Chapter 15._

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

 **Author Notes**

The story of Mojo teaching English as community service was from the episode Mo' Linguish.

In the episode, "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!" Mojo did take over the world by getting the key to the world, and becoming a good ruler actually, but lose it when he became bored and began acting crazily.

* * *

 **To Hinate,**

 _Reds Forever..._

 _btw last time i wrote reaaaaaaaaaaally long review WITH phone no less... i loved that chapter sooo much especially the Reds part about the girls teasing Blossom about Keneth it was soo good and about boys saying they'll make statues of Ms Keane everywhere it was soo fun and humour in ur fic is awesome ... i really loved it... damn and about this chapter it was kinda unexpected i really didn't think you'd give em to Mojo well... since he will restrain himself it's fine i reaaaaaaaaaaaaally was hoping you would bring Dr. Edwards ohh man how i would have loved that..._

 _anyways it's all good ..._

 _Thank you soo much for this :D_

 _Cya soon ~ on next... take care ~ have fun..._

Reds Forever too!

Yup, both Buttercup and Bubbles continually tease their sister about her penpal. And yeah, Mojo will behave, for the meantime. And as for Dr Edwards, as for now, sadly, I have no plans to bring him back.

* * *

To **T-Dawg V.C** ,

 _It's good to see both Mojo Jojo and Him again. It's just funny to see Mojo's reaction when he realizes that the RowdyRuff Boys became smart! LOL XD_

Oh yeah. It's good to return to familiar villains, especially those who had the most impact to the boys. And yeah, that was something not expected of Mojo, since he didn't expect them to be that smart.

* * *

To **ninjarider1,**

 _Thanks for answering my comment. So when will it happens? Please._

Not in this story, as the tale is already planned to the end. Perhaps in a future story.

* * *

To **Hinate** ,

 _Reds Forever..._

 _i alr reviewed so i can only do this as a guest... i have a really big request which might be really too much to ask... but can you please please change the title chars order/filter order from Blossom,Boomer,Brick,Butch to Blossom,Brick,Boomer,Butch?_

 _I'm really sorry for suggesting something like that... but it's just everytime i see it it feels n looks kinda weird and awkward..._

 _I'm really sorry about this outrageous request... i just hope you consider it a lil..._

 _oh and it's fine in any way it is... i'd still love this fic soo much always..._

 _Thank you :D_

I tried. I saved the order as Blossom, Brick, Boomer, and Butch, but unfortunately, it came out as Blossom, Boomer, Brick, Butch. My guess is that it came out so because it's alphabetically arranged. I'm sorry.

* * *

To **dhannah1988,**

 _Wow another great story you have here. I have read all of this in the last few days and I love it. The RRB are my favorite characters and you do such a great job at keeping them in character. I was so excited to finally see HIM and Mojo making their first appearances in this story. I love how you write for Mojo as well. Like while I'm reading anything he says I hear it in my head as the way Mojo talks in the show._

 _Also once again you have a talent for fight scenes. I am a fan of the allies and rivals stories and those fight scenes were also really well written and detailed._

 _I can't wait to see where this story goes. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Keep up the good work_

Thank you. It really was fun writing Mojo's scene, and I always imagine Bubbles talking as Mojo! And thanks. I do enjoy writing fight scenes!

* * *

To **Akum** ,

Chapter 9,

 _hahaha "wait, how did he become Mayor again?" so true!_

 _Nice touch, live tuition for the rrb._

 _I like the way you portrayed the personality of the boys, little differences of male and female minds, albeit stereotyped, is not far from reality. Boomer creativity fixed on the structure. Brick's politeness, differs from Blossom's since she really means it, unlike Brick, for him it is probably just a procedule. As Blossom discribed "his ideas are cold and unfeeling"_

Stereotypical, I admit, but one that will influence the plot later on. And yeah, Brick doesn't really meant it when he was polite. He simply does it because Ms Keane said he should.

* * *

Chapter 10

 _yes, this fight will be good!_

And it would be!

* * *

Chapter 11

 _oh! that was awesome, what a crushing show off._

The boys really showed off both to the girls and to the townspeople in this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 12

 _Mrs. a Mr. Practice fit so well in this fic. It's really amusing how mere humans as Harold Smith can cause damage to the girls reputation. This is probably some of the reasons the rrb don't want to be labeled as "good", why would they be abiding to the law of pitiful humans. This is one of the many differences between the rrb and ppg, where the girls have the power to do their will, but choose not to, well at least Blossom and Bubbles... Buttercup is more lenient in regard to this, I think. Great as always._

Yeah. Ordinary people like the Practices and the Smiths could really do a number on their reputation. So why would the RRB be as law-abiding as the girls? They instead will settle on "pretending" to be law-abiding! And there would be more to this in the following chapters.

* * *

Chapter 13

 _They really might enjoy deceiving people, way too much._

Oh yeah. They really were pretending to be good!

* * *

Chapter 14

 _"Ms Keane was making them soft!" yes! show her Mojo, Muahahahaha._

 _Thank you, you are the best._

Mojo Jojo immediately saw Ms Keane's ploy.

* * *

To **DPSS** ,

 _Damn, missed one update. I seriously need to put this on my favourites._

 _Anyway, I'm glad to see Mojo becoming a stronger influence on the boys lives. After all, Mojo has always been one of the most selfless villains of the series and it's obvious he loves his sons. Heck, if it wasn't for his wish to take over the world he would probably be a pretty decent good guy. I also love him being here because it lessens the chances of the boys really turning good. What can I say? "Benevolent Dictator of the World Brick Jojo" sounds awesome. One last question. Will he boys be moving back to Mojo's or is it the other way around? Because it seems like a waste to leave that awesome forest manor. And Mojo's lair can become his main lad/company building. Overall, awesome_

True, Mojo Jojo is probably the most sympathetic villain of the PPG in the show. And yeah, he cares for his sons. Everything in the show would indicate that. And even when he takes over the world, his reasons for doing so are good (free puppies for everyone!).

And that is the new mission of Mojo. To make sure the boys achieve their destiny! And yeah, that title for Brick is awesome! "Benevolent Dictator" indeed!

As for the forest manor or his lab, this chapter answers that question.

* * *

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _I'm so glad Mojo's back! He would offer a much needed counterpart to Ms Keane so the boys would not go 'soft'. And hurrah! The girls are giving the boys a chance!_

 _I can't wait to find out what will happen next!_

Yes, Mojo's back, to help raise his boys to conquer the world!

* * *

To **John** ,

 _Glad Mojo's back. Thanks._

You're welcome. I'm glad Mojo's back too.


	16. IV-Final Confrontation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

 **An Education For Power**

The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 16. The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys once again engaged in an awesome and destructive fight. What happens when this final fight happened to be the culmination of all the emotions and resentments and secrets boiling over the past year?

 **Book IV**

 **Agreement**

 **Chapter XVI**

* * *

 **Final Confrontation**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **154\. Surviving**_

"Well, then. We'll just have to force it out of you!" Blossom shouted. "Powerpuff Girls! Attack!"

Brick knew what he must do, although his pride galled at the prospect. He eyed Boomer, who was fearful, yet determined.

The girls charged.

"Boomer!" he shouted, and he flew towards Butch, Boomer following behind. He grabbed his brother, then tossed his unconscious sibling to his much faster younger brother. Then the two wordlessly flew to the woods.

"C'mon, you cowards! Fight!" Buttercup shouted as the boys fled the scene.

The girls were momentarily stunned by their flight, before Blossom shouted, "After them!"

* * *

…

The girls plunged into the dark woods. But there was no sign of them.

"Boys! Boys! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Buttercup shouted.

"Yeah! Don't tell me Townsville's brand new heroes are cowards!" Blossom added in a loud voice. "All this time, you fooled everyone! Well, not everyone! I knew you were up to no good! Now you can't hide! Kidnapping and conspiracy!"

The girls wordlessly flew near the forest floor, looking for their quarry.

"Don't let them get away," Blossom whispered to her sisters. "We got the advantage. Otherwise, the next time we fight them, Butch would be okay and it would be much more difficult."

"It's all your fault, Red," Buttercup castigated as she scanned the dark place. "You should've known they'd fly."

"How could I have known that they'd be bigger cowards than we thought they were?" the leader replied defensively.

"You ought to. It's common sense," Buttercup said, "to run away if you're outnumbered."

"I know. I just thought they'd be enraged by the fall of their brother and they'd just blindly attack us," the leader conceded.

"Girls, what if they already got away?" Bubbles asked, looking, not without fear, at the pitch-black forest in the middle of the night.

"Thankfully, they can't use their super speed without leaving colored streaks of light. Which means that they are still in this forest, hiding," she answered.

"Girls, I'm sorry. I really thought they turned a new leaf," Bubbles apologized. "I was heartbroken when I saw Ms Keane tied up!"

"That's okay, Bubbles," Blossom replied with understanding. "Even the Professor was fooled, you know."

"How can we look for them?" Bubbles asked. It was pitch black.

Blossom did not say a word as she formed an energy ball. It emitted a bright pink light that brought everything to sight, though it was disorienting to see everything, even trees they knew to be green, to have a distinct shade of pink.

"Peel your eyes, Girls," Blossom instructed, her pink eyes carefully scanning the place.

Buttercup imitated her leader, creating a green energy ball that doubled the brightness of the place, and mixed the pink shade with light green.

Bubbles followed suit, and the place was bathed in a luminous light, brighter than the light from a truck's fog light. The mix of pink, green, and light blue produced a unique blend.

Where were they?

They roamed the forest floor, their lights in tow, looking for their quarry.

But they found nothing.

"What do we do now?" asked Buttercup as they rested under a mighty oak tree, with a gigantic trunk, with a diameter of about 10 feet, and a huge hollow in the middle of the said trunk.

"Let's flush them out!" Blossom said, determined. "We'll use our x-ray vision."

"But the place is big!" Bubbles argued.

"Not if we go up," said Blossom, "where we could easily scan the place."

Her sisters nodded. "Buttercup, put out your light. You can't put up the light and do x-ray vision at the same time. Too much energy. You do the x-ray, and Bubbles and I will illuminate the place."

"Fine!" said Buttercup, dissolving her green light.

"Okay, let's go!" Blossom said, followed by Bubbles.

Buttercup would have brought up the rear, but…

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"Damn the Powerpuff Girls!" Brick cursed as he flew through the dark forest. He was thankful that it was night. Otherwise, they could easily have been spotted.

Both boys flew fast, but both were aware that their speed would leave a colored streak in the dark, and so they halted in a safe place.

He peeled his eyes, and there it was. _The Mighty Oak_ , said to be more than a thousand years old, with a great trunk more than ten-feet in diameter, with an even thicker canopy above.

Without looking back, Boomer, with the unconscious Butch, and Brick, went in the rather small hole.

It was the huge hollow inside the trunk that attracted him. The Rowdyruff Boys had found the oak months ago while were exploring their new home. They hadn't met Ms Keane yet, nor had Brick discovered that he was not smart or clever or that he can't spell the world 'dumb'. All they knew that it was a great place to play, and to hide.

The hollow was clean. There were wooden planks nailed at the bottom, and even a small stool. The sides were polished. It was just big enough to hide three six-year-old kids. There was even a lightbulb, powered by a battery, at the top of the hollow. If necessary, they could use their powers to create a ball of light.

But right now, darkness was their best friend.

He just hoped that they were not seen.

"How's Butch?" he asked in the faintest whisper.

"There's a terrible wound in his forehead," Boomer replied, also in the faintest whisper. "He won't wake up until morning. But he'll be okay."

"Provided the girls don't find us," he said.

Brick hated running away. He hated doing cowardly things. Yet he was not suicidal. He would not fight a battle he cannot win. It galled his pride, but knew what he had to do.

Still, nothing can change the fact that all his plans were in ruins. What rotten piece of luck! They saw Ms Keane tied up, and assumed the worst. They heard him and Mojo ranting about conquering the world. And thus, his ambitions were exposed in its infancy and would be strangled in the cradle.

Blossom would announce to the world that the Rowdyruff Boys were evil and plotting to take over the world with Mojo. Sure, he could denounce her as a liar, and after Blossom made that public apology, her credibility suffered, but many people still loved Blossom, and would believe her. The only reason they turned against Blossom and the Powerpuff Girls was that they saw with their own eyes that the girls attacked them without provocation. Now that their reputation was restored, thanks to Brick himself, many would believe that he really was plotting with Mojo.

He had hoped for peace with the Powerpuff Girls until they grew up, and he had thought that he had maneuvered the girls into accepting such peace on his terms.

He was wrong. The Powerpuff Girls would never tamely submit to being forcibly put into their place my mere Rowdyruffs!

Now, the boys would be beaten until they publicly admitted that they plotted with Mojo Jojo.

That would be the end.

He needed to avoid that.

But how to salvage the situation at hand?

He did not know.

He only knew that he had to survive so he could avoid any confession, and could plan. Right now, it was too tense to make up something on the fly.

He needed Ms Keane's advice.

At least he could easily get out of the kidnapping charge. Ms Keane will back him up on that. But that would mean that their secret tutoring arrangement would not be secret anymore.

He still wanted to grow up peacefully, live in the glow of appreciation and popularity of the people, and prepare to conquer the world. He wanted to create a party devoted to himself, and an army who will die for him.

He could not do that as a fugitive.

First, he had to survive, but how?

...

* * *

Brick shuddered. There were voices. Faint at first, then it became louder. Did they find him? He shuddered. He prayed to God that the girls would not find him. But they were just outside. Did they find him?

"What do we do now?" Buttercup asked.

They did not find him! Yet they were so close! All they had to do was look in the hole in the trunk!

"Let's flush them out! We'll use our x-ray vision."

The Rowdyruff leader panicked. If they use it, they would discover them! It would be all but over!

"But the place is big!" Bubbles argued.

"Not if we go up," said Blossom, "where we could easily scan the place. Buttercup, put out your light. You can't put up the light and do x-ray vision at the same time. Too much energy. You do the x-ray, and Bubbles and I will illuminate the place."

"Fine!" said Buttercup.

"Okay, let's go!" Blossom said, followed by Bubbles.

He peered through the entrance, and saw Blossom fly, followed by Bubbles, then last of all, Buttercup.

Buttercup! He knew what to do. He leapt from the hole, grabbed Buttercup from behind, his right hand covering her mouth, his left arms wrapped around her body.

Boomer followed, and he knew. He punched the defenseless Buttercup as hard as he could on her stomach, knocking the wind and the struggle out of her. Then he formed his electric bat—the same electric bat that felled the girls when the boys pretended to be ghosts in the library—and brought it crashing down upon her right temple.

There was huge gash and blood flowed.

And she was out. Brick felt her slump in his arms.

* * *

 _ **155\. Fight to the End**_

"Where's Buttercup?" Blossom asked Bubbles as they floated above the forest, their lights glowing.

Bubbles looked around. "I was sure she was behind me," she shrugged. She scanned the area around them. Nothing.

Blossom looked down to where they had last been. Besides the oak. And she paled.

Buttercup was unconscious, in Brick's arms. Boomer was beside them with his electric bat, blood trickling from the green puff's temples.

It was not hard to decipher what had just happened.

"Buttercup!" she shouted as she descended, Bubbles following. "Get your filthy hands off her!"

Brick looked at her, smirking, and said, "Gladly," he barked, before tossing the green puff to Bubbles, who caught her.

"She's okay," said the blonde puff. "But she won't come to until tomorrow."

Blossom was furious! Her plan was wrecked. _Just like that!_ Now she had no advantage over her adversaries.

"Now the playing field is levelled," Brick said with a confident air. "Shoo. Go back from whence you came!"

Blossom stood her ground. "I am going to fight, and win!" For Townsville, and the world, she needed to defeat the Rowdyruff Boys this day.

...

* * *

"Very well then!" he said. "Let's find a suitable place to fight, shall we? The place is a bit cramped."

Blossom nodded. Boomer went back to the trunk and got the unconscious Butch.

"You were hiding in that trunk?" Blossom asked, feeling very foolish.

"Yes. You were just outside, talking about using your x-ray vision to find us," Brick replied as he flew.

Blossom and Bubbles, carrying Buttercup, followed Brick and Boomer, who was carrying Butch. They landed besides the lake, where there was a huge clearing, with nothing on the ground growing except grass. Boomer carefully put Butch on the ground, as did Bubbles to Buttercup.

The four stood, facing each other.

"I am giving you one last chance, boys!" Blossom haughtily demanded. "Surrender, and publicly confess your crimes, and maybe the city will go easy on you."

"And if we don't?" asked Brick.

"Then we will force you. We will beat you up, and haul you in jail. Perhaps even destroy you like we did before."

"You're awfully confident for someone who lost her advantage," Brick replied, smirking.

"You don't have any advantage over us either," Blossom shot back.

"True, but you could say the same during the last fight. We were even, but we trounced you so hard!"

"That couldn't work twice, you know," Blossom replied. "I already know all your tricks."

"Would you really destroy us?" Brick asked.

"We already did, once," she replied.

"Kissing us won't work."

"We don't need to kiss you to destroy you."

"We're stronger than you."

"Only a little bit, but we're smarter than you, and that is more important than any strength advantage, as you well know."

"I know. But we're not as dumb as you think we are," he snapped, feeling miffed at her remark.

"True. But we're still way smarter than you. You may have learned how to speak properly, but that doesn't help."

He nearly lost it. How dare she insult his intelligence! But Brick kept his composure. "Well, I've considered your position. How about you consider mine?"

"What do you propose?" she asked.

"That you forget what you saw and heard this night, and let things go as they were," Brick proposed.

"You mean you continue pretending being a hero while you're plotting taking over the world and kidnapping Ms Keane?" Blossom asked incredulously. "You are crazy if you think I'm going to agree to that."

"We'll free Ms Keane soon enough. As for plotting to take over the world with Mojo, you can't get me until I actually do something to take over the world. They were just words, Pinky. I can talk about taking over the world until I'm blue in the face, and until I do anything, you can't do anything about it!" he charged.

"True. But I'll get you for kidnapping Ms Keane!" she declared. "That way, I won't have to wait until you try to take over this world! I won't allow it!"

He smirked, then laughed a bit. "Oh if you think that you'll get me for kidnapping Ms Keane, then you're in for a big surprise."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? You were caught redhanded! Ms Keane is tied up in your house! How can you deny it?"

"Yes, Ms Keane is tied in my house. But that's not the real reason for this, is it? You're just jealous that you're being eclipsed by the new superheroes!" Brick taunted, shifting the topic.

"Superheroes my foot! You're just villains pretending!"

"Maybe we are. But that's not what the people think," he said. "C'mon! You just don't want to share the spotlight!"

"You'd think this is all about the spotlight?" she asked incredulously.

"And you want revenge! I wouldn't blame you, after what happened!"

"Yes _, I want revenge_ for what you've done! You're not the only one! I was hoping you'd be stubborn and pigheaded. That way, we would have a reason to beat you up!"

"You know, if you just drop the entire thing, things could go peachy! We would continue to save the day, you would continue to save the day. Why all this?"

"This is for justice, truth, and saving the day!" Blossom shouted. "You don't deserve to be superheroes! Being a superhero would entail dedication, and a pure and honest heart. You have the heart of a villain even if you do heroic things. How I can let things lie?"

"And vengeance too?"

"Yes."

He just smirked.

...

* * *

Blossom resisted the urge to just launch herself and wipe the smirk off of him. She needed her mind to be clear. She had lost her advantage by her carelessness and his deviousness.

It was galling!

She looked at the two boys! Puppets of Mojo Jojo!

Well no more!

All of the days hunting for them, all of the days when the boys would hide and suddenly attacked the girls unsuspected, all the days when they pretended to be superheroes by setting them up, forcing them to apologize for something that they did not do, had to end.

Tonight, either she would, once and for all, end the threat of the Rowdyruff Boys!

Or the Powerpuff Girls would be defeated, and the Rowdyruff Boys would rule the world for Mojo Jojo. For if she cannot stop them tonight, then she doubted that she could ever stop them for good.

* * *

 _ **156\. Red and Pink**_

"Now!" Blossom shouted, and both she and Bubbles attacked.

The Pink Puff lunged in, aiming to hit Brick before he knew what was happening, but he jumped back, and went to the air, with Blossom hot in pursuit.

He smirked as he made an energy ball and tossed it at the incoming Blossom.

But she was able to dodge it, and her eyes glowed, and shot at him. He avoided it, but was caught off guard when Blossom was upon him, burying her fist on his stomach.

He doubled over in pain, and she followed it up by a wicked kick on his head, sending him crashing down to the ground.

She followed him down, intending to finish him off by slamming against him. Brick was lying on the ground, his eyes closed, seemingly weak and helpless.

But as soon as she was very close, his eyes, opened, glowing, and before she could even react, was hit by his laser eyes.

She screamed in pain as he jumped and stood beside her, giving her jaw a strong uppercut, causing her to snap her head upward. He then followed it up by punching her in the stomach. He then grabbed her legs, and spun her around, tossing her up in the sky.

He then picked up speed, intent on slamming her back.

Blossom, however, was able to avoid it, but only just. His momentum took him high up in the sky, and when he was able to halt, Blossom was waiting on the ground.

He smirked. He created a giant energy ball, and was about to throw it at her, but hesitated. If he missed, and there was every indication that he might, it would cause the destruction of the forest. Blossom might have cared about saving the city, but not a forest devoid of human life—especially his forest, and his house.

And he cannot risk Ms Keane's life.

He gritted his teeth. He dove after her, red flames engulfing his body, his eyes peeled on her, trying to detect any trick she could make. She did no trick. Instead, pink flames engulfed her, and she, at top speed, charged towards Brick.

There was going to be a terrific collision.

There was blinding light, a mix of pink and red, and a loud explosion.

Then smoke.

Then two figures, battered, and wounded, fell from the sky, landing with a crash on the ground below, creating a cloud of dust, which, when it subsided, revealed craters around each kid.

Both kids floated up, more brown from dust than pink or red. Brick's hat was in tatters, and so was Blossom's bow.

"Give up, Pinky?"

"Not on your life, Brick!"

He got up and charged, Blossom dodged, and she executed a roundhouse kick as he went pass, hitting the back of his head, sending him crashing straight to the ground. He felt blood trickling from where he was hit, and he gritted his teeth, angry at his weakness.

* * *

…

Blossom smirked as her eyes glowed, but Brick was able to dodge the forthcoming laser eye beam. He grabbed her hair and spun her around, and slammed her to the ground.

She gritted her teeth, feeling pain in her scalp. How dare he grab her beautiful hair? Luckily, he let go of her as he tossed her up in air, aiming to hit her with his laser ball, but she was able to dodge. Still smarting from the pain on her scalp, she formed her own laser ball, and threw it at him. But he dodged, and he jumped, aiming a punch at her face with his left hand.

She blocked it with her right hand. He aimed a roundhouse kick with his right foot aimed at her right temple, but she again blocked it by the simple expedient of raising her right hand to her head. She then used her left hand to aim an uppercut at his jaw, but he saw it and bent his head backward, so her fist hit nothing but air. He aimed a punch at her stomach, but she was able to adjust her body so it hit air.

"Keep still, will you?" he shouted in exasperation.

She merely grinned as she tried to uppercut his tummy, but he blocked it using his other hand. Her eyes glowed. His own eyes glowed too, and there was a duel of laser eyes, each putting all of their energy on it, until finally, both put some distance between them, and backed off.

"Give up?" Blossom asked, with a grin on her face.

"Never! You give up!" Brick shouted. "You're gonna lose!"

"Me? No. I cannot lose!" Blossom shouted. "I fight for right."

"Really, you lost last time!" he shouted back.

"That's because you tricked us!" she shot back.

"There was no trick, and you know it! We let you attack us first, and you still got your butts handed to you!" he argued, panting.

"It's still a trick!" she insisted, also panting, her eyes glowing, hoping to catch him unawares.

It nearly did, but he had the presence of mind, as if by instinct, to jump to the air, avoiding being hit, and his own eyes glowed, and shot her.

But she was able to avoid it, and she produced a ball of energy, and threw it at him. He dodged, and she was upon him, and began to blow.

He immediately recognize it, and being very close to her, his palm was upon her mouth, closing her lips and scotching the ice breath in its tracks.

"MMMpphh!" she protested, as his other hand was at the back on her head, trapping her head in a vise.

He grinned, as he gave her a very painful headbutt, not that it wasn't painful for Brick as well. He let go, as she fell to the ground, welts forming on both foreheads, but she was able to stop her descent, and saw Brick was diving after her. She looked down, her eyes glowed.

He was nearly upon her, when she looked at him and laser poured forth, hitting him, zapping him, and he fell to the ground.

Both leaders were standing across each other, exhausted, trying to recover their reserves of energy, pink eyes staring at red, full of dislike upon the other, if not hate, trying to seek an advantage before moving.

* * *

 _ **157\. Blue and Blue**_

Bubbles attacked Boomer. She was angry. She believed them to be good. But she was wrong. They were evil. Listening to them talk with Mojo Jojo about conquering the world crushed her, made her look like a fool to her sisters. She allowed her crush on Boomer to develop as it did because of that foolish belief.

But how can she help it? He was so cute!

Boomer would pay.

Boomer could see the fire in her eyes, and grinned. He positioned himself as if waiting for the attack, then when she was close, prepared his electric bat. But she was able to dodge his swing, and swung higher in the air. Her eyes glowed, and zapped laser eyes.

He was able to catch it with his bat, and deflected it.

Despite her anger, she can't help saying, as she looked upon those dark blue orbs, "That is so cool, Boomie!"

He grinned. "Thank you! This bat is my trusty best friend!"

His bat dissolved as his blue eyes glowed red, and laser poured forth, which the fastest puff easily dodged. But he was upon her, and gave a powerful punch upon her stomach which knocked the wind out of her. He grabbed her head, and then slammed it against his knee, her forehead getting the brunt of it. Then he kicked her, striking her head, causing her to be thrown far away by the impact.

Hurt, Bubbles halted her flight, and saw Boomer coming closer. She flew up, and shouted, "Catch me if you can!"

"I am the fastest Rowdyruff!" Boomer shouted.

"And I am the fastest Powerpuff!" Bubbles replied, going higher, up in the air, her visage in the dark sky visible because of the light blue streak.

"I am faster!" Boomer replied.

"Let's see! How about a game of tag? Last time, I'm it! Now you are!" she giggled as she flew, her anger rapidly fading as she found herself having fun.

He smiled. "I'm gonna catch you, and when I do, we're gonna play another game!"

She clapped her hands even as she evaded him. "Ooh! Another game! What is it? Is it fun? Coming from you, I know it's gonna be fun!"

He smirked as he kept up. "How 'bout baseball?"

"Baseball?"

"Yeah. You play the ball, and I play the bat!" he laughed even as he put more energy into their flight.

She grinned. "You have to catch me first, Boom!"

He chased after her all across the night sky, above the canopy. Bubbles herself never left the vicinity of the woods, always turning when they approached the edge of the forest.

It was exhilarating. "Playing tag" with Boomer was so much fun, even though she knew that he would hurt her when he caught her, because she would hurt him too. She really didn't want to destroy her counterpart, like Blossom seemed to want.

Sure, she was angry that they're still evil! But she cannot hate him. Especially someone so cute and adorable! She wanted to hug him and kiss him and… She shook her head. She must focus. He was the enemy. He would destroy her, she was sure of it. But he didn't during the last fight, so maybe not. One look at his dark blue eyes was all it took to melt all the disappointment and anger.

Still, her feelings did not prevent her from fighting her best. After all, this was a battle. And defeat did not equate, she hoped, to destruction. She could beat him up no problem. She never had a problem beating up villains, even those she was friendly with. Villains were villains. Even cute ones…

She gathered her breath, and when she was ready, stopped and turned around. Boomer approached, fist ready, preparing to hit her when he got to her. But when he was very close, she unleashed her sonic scream point blank.

He was caught off guard, and found himself being thrown away from her, his head pounding from the high-pitch screech. He covered his ears, but the damage had been done. He swore his ears bled, though his hearing was fine. But it introduced a pounding headache, one that sapped his strength.

He was given no chance to recover as Bubbles rushed and slammed against him at the stomach, her arms extended, then slammed him against the grassy ground, causing a huge cloud of dust to form and a crater around them.

* * *

…

Luckily for Boomer, the dust obscured Bubbles' vision, and he was able to get away, though very much weaker than before, and probably weaker than her.

The dust settled, and they stood together, staring at each other while they rested.

He looked at his adversary. Bubbles. The Princess Bubbles! How different she was to her sisters, the Ogre Buttercup and Big Bad Wolf Blossom. Why was she a Princess again?

Back then, he hated her because she stole his clothes, after imprisoning him in that ray of light in Professor Utonium's laboratory. Now? His thirst of revenge was sated by the last fight, and he was fighting for his life, his freedom, and for his brother.

So what was Bubbles, her counterpart? He could see it in her big blue innocent eyes that she does not hate him, even after presumably hearing about their plot. So sweet, so naïve, yet so ferocious in battle. Not Buttercup ferocious, but she had a certain ferocity and determination that allowed her to hurt and kick enemies she did not hate and even liked. Thus, her nature did not prevent her from fighting her best, and hurting him and pounding him in the dust.

God help an enemy if he does incur her hatred!

Still, he knew her weakness. She was not good in close-quarter combat. That was shown in her fight against Butch. Now Boomer himself was not as good as his brothers, but as he was against Bubbles, it did not matter. He was sure he was better than she.

He gathered his energy, and charged, giving a hard punch on her tummy, surprising her by the speed of his recovery. She doubled over in pain, causing her to cough blood, and he gave another kick on her side, throwing her away. He followed it up by punching her in the head, and in the jaw. Bubbles scarcely was able to fend off the onslaught. If he was Butch, he would continue the relentless assault until Bubbles was broken.

But he was Boomer, and so, he broke off contact, went some distance, and formed a giant ball to finish her off.

Which gave Bubbles, weakened and battered, a chance to climb higher, and waved her hand.

A tornado suddenly appeared besides him, and he jumped to avoid it, in the process aborting the big energy ball he had formed. She clapped her hand, and lightning poured forth, and he was forced to form his electric bat to catch it.

She again applauded happily! "Your bat is the best thing ever!" she cooed happily.

Boomer saw his brother and Blossom standing, staring at each other, and deemed it prudent to rest besides him. Bubbles took her cue and stood beside Blossom.

* * *

 _ **158\. Haughtiness and Arrogance**_

Blossom stared at Brick as they rested. They were battered, wounded, and weaker.

How she hated him! He was her inferior! He was dumber than her! He had the intelligence of a dumb animal. He cannot spell 'dumb', or even know that the earth revolved around the sun, and how he butchered the English language! He was crass! He was uncouth! He did not have any manners! He was a hillbilly who lived in the woods, and had the manners and knowledge of one! He was, save in powers, opposite of what Blossom was!

He was worthy of nothing but her contempt! And evil too. But she admitted, the evil had become secondary. The very character of the dumb boy standing in front of him inspired the contempt, the dislike, even the hate!

The letters of Kenneth Charles Jojo made her realize how much of a boor and a cretin Brick was _._

 _Compare him to Kenneth_!

Kenneth was intelligent! Frighteningly so! She so admired his brain! The letters! Oh how she treasured them! A boy her age who had the same intellectual wavelength as she was! Superior in every way to Brick save strength and power! It exposed what a shallow creature Brick was, compared to her invisible penpal, her invisible friend!

Brick was a tiny speck, nothing to be afraid of, a dirt upon her shoes. She would turn her metaphoric nose at him! Brick was not good enough to her to be a rival, to have a second look, to consider him a threat!

Yet, recently, she cannot beat Brick! And he even outwitted her! Her! _Blossom, outwitted and outsmarted by a cretin!_ Oh, the humiliation! That was what gnawed upon her! She was smart! Almost perfect in every way! And Brick was the embodiment of imperfection!

She should have ran rings around him!

Yet she cannot.

It's maddening!

 _Tell me Brick! What's your secret! How can you act so smart? Surely, it cannot solely be because of Mojo! The way you took out Buttercup was brilliant, and Mojo's not here!_

Something's changed about him. She couldn't put her finger on it. Yet there it was. He was not the same Brick that tormented her when he first was brought back. He was not the same Brick that she could easily outwit—so childish, so immature! (Although she knew it was ridiculous to label him childish, as they were children!)

Still!

There's something about him that made him more menacing. Yet her brain refused to draw the obvious conclusion, so set upon her prejudices she had about Brick.

"Had enough?" she spoke at he was joined by Boomer, and she, by Bubbles.

He spat blood on the ground. "No," he replied, gritting his teeth.

…

* * *

Brick too looked with intense dislike at his counterpart.

Who was she, Blossom? Smarter than all the girls he knew, and most adults too! So smart that she could talk better than 99% of all adults! Her brain truly was a marvel, and he genuinely admired her intellect, and his admiration increased as he became smarter.

Yet how he disliked her. Why? Was it revenge, or that she beat him in battle?

No!

That melted away during the last battle! He beat her up! He proved his superiority! He got his revenge! On that, he was satiated! That was why it was so easy to say yes to Ms Keane's request to get them out of jail.

There was something else, gnawing at him, on his pride.

He could see it in her big pink eyes.

It was Blossom's attitude.

It was her arrogant air, the feeling that she was superior to him, if not in power in strength, then in every other category. She was the haughty aristocrat! He was a mere peasant!

Peasant! Ha! He was going to be emperor! And he's going to demote Pinky to a mere serf! A peasant indeed!

To her, he knew, he was a boor. He was uncultured. He was uncouth! But most galling, was that he was dumb and stupid! No matter how smart he became, he would always be dumb and stupid to the Pink Puff. Blossom's letters to Kenneth Charles Jojo told him as much!

That rankled him. That made him hate her! That burned him! He was not stupid! He spent every minute of the past year proving he was not dumb! That he could spell the word 'dumb'! He wanted to tell her that he was smart! That he was taught by Ms Keane! That he was Kenneth Charles!

He gritted his teeth! He wanted so much to tell Pinky what he was doing with Ms Keane the past few months! Just to wipe out that air of superiority that Pinky had over him!

But he cannot. His plans forbade him to do so! He needed to protect Ms Keane! He needed her to underestimate him by thinking that he was stupid! And he will not grovel around and explain anything! Even if it hurt that she thought so low of him, her counterpart.

He owed no one any explanation! Even for the sake of his pride.

Least of all, to that haughty girl in front of him! Looking down on him from her ivory tower! He wanted to tear it down! And he knew that no matter what he did, he cannot convince her that he was smart unless he revealed all!

But, alas, he cannot!

Here he was, fated to be the object of contempt and sneering from the great Blossom Utonium herself!

It was so unfair!

They were equals! And even her superior! Her better! And she should recognize it!

He was smart! Smarter than before! Thanks to Ms Keane!

He will be the ruler of the world, and he'll put her in her place!

If she only acknowledged that she was wrong about his character! No, not his being evil, since he was evil, and proud of it!

But his intelligence and his class!

He admired many things about Pinky, but all were overridden by his hate of her for being so stuck-up, so smug, so arrogant, so superior! He was but a merely lowly cretin to her!

Why can't she realize it? Didn't his plans during the last fight prove it? Wasn't his battle tactics, brilliant? Wasn't his plan to put the blame on them, cunning? Wasn't his forgiveness, also intelligent? Wasn't his manipulation of the people, exceptional?

Why can't she see that she was staring at her equal?

But of course, it was partly his fault. But he had come to hate his plan to make her think he was stupid.

* * *

 _ **159\. "You're Who?"**_

"Give up!" Blossom shouted, contempt in her voice. "We're in the right! You're evil, and dumb as rocks! We will always win when it matters the most!"

"Oh shut up!" Brick spat.

"Yeah, we'll beat you!" Boomer added, standing beside his big brother. "You're nothing but a Big Bad Wolf!"

"Big Bad Wolf?" Blossom asked.

"Yeah! You're the Big Bad Wolf, and Buttercup's an Ogre!" Boomer shouted.

* * *

…

Brick looked at his brother in shock.

 _You and your big mouth! You didn't even realize what you, did, did you, little brother?_

…

* * *

Blossom blanched. "Bubbles is Princess, right?"

"And Blossom has a brain!" Boomer teased. "Yeah, she's Princess Bubbles!"

Her mind raced. Those nicknames! Big Bad Wolf! Ogre! Princess! There's only one who knew other than her sisters! It was The Ghosts of Townsville Library! That meant…

"You're the Ghosts of Townsville Library! You were the ones who knocked us out!" Blossom gasped, pointing at the two brothers.

Her jaw dropped. It was too much. Does that mean that they…they actually read at the library? She needed to find out.

"And you were reading in the library!" she concluded.

"Yes, we were!"

Them reading? Impossible! Yet they were! She cannot deny it! Then if they were the ghosts, then…

 _Oh no! It cannot be! But the handwriting was identical. If the Rowdyruff Boys and the students of Ms Keane had identical handwriting, then that meant…_

She didn't want to ask, but she had to!

She had to!

"Then you're the students of Ms Keane! You're actually the Jojo brothers!" she asserted. "The letters and the note, the handwriting, identical!"

 _Please deny it! Please deny it! Please deny it!_ she silently pleaded.

* * *

…

Brick looked on, shocked, his face, ashen! The secret was revealed! He could kill his little brother! Boomer was so stupid!

He was caught.

All because of silly nicknames! Big Bad wolf! Ogre! Princess! Ha!

"Yes, we are the Jojo brothers."

"You're Kenneth Charles Jojo?" she asked, her voice, nearly breaking.

"I'm Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo," he confirmed.

* * *

…

Her penpal! Her unseen friend! The boy, who in her fantasies, she idolized, imagined being a gentleman, the smartest boy she ever had the pleasure to communicate with.

She looked forward to their first face-to-face meeting ever since she learned of his existence, and the hunger and longing to meet this mysterious and intelligent boy grew as he kept saying that they would be meeting soon. In her fantasies, it would be a polite meeting, a kind of play date, where he would see a handsome, smart boy, a meeting of the two smartest kids in town, a meeting of Stanley and Livingstone, a meeting of Wonder Woman and Albert Einstein.

Instead, he was, he was…

 _Was her enemy_! Was Brick! The same boy she derided for being uncouth and stupid.

All the letters! Her precious letters!

 _Were written by Brick!_

That boy that she put on a pedestal as her intellectual equal!

 _Was actually Brick._

Her knees shook at the revelation, then buckled, as she felt tears form in her eyes.

Brick! Her dumb, stupid Brick! Was actually the smart, intelligent, K.C. Jojo!

And Ms Keane, her beloved teacher, was their tutor! How could she?

How could she!

Why? Why?

She fell on the ground, and she buried her face on her arms, and began to sob uncontrollably. She bawled like a six-year-girl can only bawl. Everything crashed for her that moment.

The entire worldview she had nurtured, she had believed, crashed!

And it hurt!

It hurt a lot! It hurt in a way only a six-year-old could feel.

* * *

…

Brick stared at her prone figure, crying, reminding him how he saw Ms Keane cried when she talked about the Powerpuff Girls.

Every rational bone in his body was urging her to attack her! To beat her up while she was defenseless!

 _Now is the time! C'mon Brick! You have complete advantage over her!_

Yet he remained rooted in his spot. Something about the Pinky's broken form, crying, sobbing on the ground, made him pity her.

God! He hated feeling pity for her!

She looked so vulnerable! So fragile! So broken up!

For she was broken by the revelation. The fight had gone out of her eyes the moment she had found out.

He looked at her with a stone face. Something in him made it shameful to attack her at her current state.

But what can he do?

He cannot go and comfort her, for she was his enemy. Blossom was not Ms Keane.

Yet a part of him wished she would stop. He wanted to fight. Wanted to teach her a lesson! To respect him! To show that he cannot easily be bent and that even if his world crumbled, he cannot be bowed.

For even in this triumph, he knew that it was over for his plans.

He was now surer than ever that she would tell the world what she heard. What better revenge than to tell the world that he was a fraud?

Oh! His reputation with the Townies would be in tatters.

He wanted to beat her up for ruining it all!

 _Why_?

Everything was going so peachy! His future was all mapped out to his satisfaction!

 _Why did you have to snoop and hear all that, Pinky? Why?_

What's left to do? Be card-carrying villains?

Impossible!

He did not want to revert to what he was! He was evil, but he was not senselessly evil!

He wanted to continue on his current path!

All of that was gone. Thanks to the girl in a heap, crying her eyes out, in front of him.

What to do? What to do?

Bubbles had gone and hugged her sister, crying silently, not with Blossom, but for her. But inexplicably, there was a delight and joy in the blonde's eyes.

…

* * *

Finally, she stopped sobbing. She stood up, sniffed a bit, and fixed her hair.

She wiped all tears from her face, and readied herself for battle. Her eyes burned for revenge!

 _Be strong! It's not falling and crying that defines you, but how you picked up the pieces afterwards!_

She gritted her teeth. She looked at Brick, all but ignoring Boomer. How he fooled her! She knew now. It was all so obvious! All those strategies! All those tactics! They were not the product of Mojo or some other villain behind him.

It came from that mind of Brick! That crafty, smart, intelligent Brick!

Why did it take so long for her to realize it?

She now realized the truth.

Because in her mind, he was so dumb and stupid, that it blinded her to the fact that he could actually learn and be smart.

And he did.

Thanks to Ms Keane.

 _Why Ms Keane? Why help these villains?_

The crying helped. It pushed it all out at once. It was off her chest, and she could think clearly, even as it was being clouded by anger and rage.

Her preconceptions about him blinded her. She could have discovered it, she could have unraveled it all, when she noticed the similarity of the handwriting! But her image of Brick's supposed stupidity made her blind.

How stupid of her!

It was not Brick who was cretin, a moron, an ignoramus, but her! She missed all the signs! Or rather, she did notice it, but the obvious conclusion could not form because of her bias.

"You lied, Brick Jojo!" she said, saying his family name for the first time. Oh how it hurt to say those two words, Brick and Jojo, at the same time! "You didn't tell me we were pen pals."

"I didn't lie. I never said that I wasn't Kenneth Charles, not did Kenneth Charles in his letters deny that he was me. You never asked," he replied.

"That's pedantic!" she replied. "And those other words! All those lies!"

"If you analyze my letters, I never made a deliberate falsehood!" he proclaimed.

"You said we saw Kenneth Charles, during that attack on the city, as part of the crowd!" Blossom accused. "You looked like just another ordinary boy!"

"You did see us. We wore a disguise to look just like an ordinary boy. We were in the crowd," Brick asserted.

"Oh enough, Brick Jojo!" she gritted her teeth. He would pay.

* * *

 _ **160\. Pouring it all Out**_

She attacked him with extra ferocity, striking hard, taking out on Brick her anger, her disappointment! Every negative emotion she channeled on pummeling him.

It was not any more a question of beating him up to force him to confess his crimes or to plotting with Mojo, or beating him to enable them to haul them to jail.

No. It was personal. He wanted to teach him and pound him and hurt him.

She aimed a punch on his head, and he dodged, and he counterpunched, hitting her on the stomach. Yet she ignored the pain, just as Buttercup would have, and spun around in a roundhouse kick, unexpectedly hitting Brick.

He fell on the ground, and her eyes glowed, but he was able to get away, and grabbed her outstretched hands and slammed her on the ground. But it didn't stop her from attacking, such was her blind fury.

She was like Buttercup. And like Buttercup, Brick found it easy to parry and avoid most of her attacks.

Then she began to insult him as anger clouded her judgment.

" _You brute! You ignorant fool! You are nothing_!" Blossom shouted, not anymore thinking rationally, as she attacked with wild abandon. It did not matter that she knew that her insults were not anymore true. She just wanted to lash out at him. _**"You hillbilly dumb boy! You know nothing! You are not worthy of even pretending to be a hero, you upstart! You are an uncouth, uneducated barbarian!**_ "

* * *

…

And he lost his temper.

 _How dare she?_

Even after knowing all of that, she still dared to call him uneducated? He was insulted. His pride was wounded. He could excuse it when she was ignorant, especially as he made sure she knew nothing, but now? She knew that he was Kenneth Charles! She called Kenneth Charles intelligent and wise!

How can she?

Who was she? Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, to look down on him? He who was stronger even when he was dumber? He was her equal, if not her superior! And he will show the Powerpuff leader her place!

And now, now that he had a life that he looked forward to, a plan to realize his destiny, Pinky would ruin it! Ruin everything! Who the hell does she think she was?

Everything that he ever cared for would be ruined by the girl before her, the girl who looked down upon him as an upstart, as a barbarian, as her inferior.

His vision clouded, and he became very angry.

" _You stuck-up girl! I am smart and intelligent, you hear me?"_ he shouted, aiming a wild kick that disregarded an oncoming punch. He was hit on the jaw before his foot could connect to her head, and he went down.

" _ **I am not stupid**_!" he shouted, rising, ignoring the stinging pain on his jaw. "I know I was, but I'm not anymore! I did everything to make to show you I'm not anymore dumb! But did you see it, you blind girl? _**You haughty, stupid, egotistical, supercilious, bigheaded, hot-aired, arrogant, good-for-nothing wimpy girl! You sissy! You lame-o! You weakling! You loser**!"_

He lost all rationality as he began calling her names, venom laced in the words. "I spit on you! Pinky, vain and conceited! Coward! Condescending fool! A doormat to the Townies!"

As a result, he lost all system in his attacks, as he only wanted to hurt her, to get back at her for all the months of insults, of looking down upon him, of being under her shadow. Oh, how he resented her attitude.

And it showed.

He hit her, but she also hit him.

He punched her in the eye. She kicked him in the head. He uppercutted her jaw, and snapped her head back. She gave a right hook which connected with his temple. She used her laser eyes and hit him. He used his laser eyes and hit him. She clapped her hand, and lighting poured forth, and hit him. He formed an energy ball and hit her. He charged and gave a ten-punch combination, hitting her consecutively on the head, chest, stomach, jaw, ribs. She hit back, making combinations on her kicks.

All the hits connected.

All subtlety was gone. Only a primal urge to hurt, driven by a primal emotion—rage and hate. Or at least the counterfeiting of hate.

He pulled her hair. She bit his foot. He elbowed her in the stomach. She pulled his hair. She froze him in ice. He shot him with laser eyes point blank.

* * *

About thirty minutes later…

"I hate you!" she mumbled as they stood, looking at each other.

"I hate you too!" he replied.

Blossom flew high up in the sky, smiling. Though her rage still ruled her mind, a little bit of rationality had returned, and she scolded herself for losing her composure. True, Brick must pay, but she must think. Every little part of her body was aching, but it was nothing to the urge to hurt him, him that had hurt her so much.

She struggled to keep her rationality. She wanted blood, but she wanted to win. She must not be a mindless brute like Buttercup. Or like Buttercup, she would easily lose to Brick. She looked at his eyes. And there was hatred. But she recognized that he was also struggling to keep control and remain rational. So, he did nothing except stare upward, shaking, clearly wanting to go after her, but his rational mind telling him that it was a trap.

She gathered her remaining energy. She screamed passionately, and she burst into flame. She was enveloped in a pink aura that made her look like a magnificent phoenix rising from the ashes, enveloping the place in a glow of pink.

He will pay!

She rose a little bit more, then began to drop at full speed, burning more energy than when she formed the furious fiery feline with her sisters.

Brick seemed rooted on his spot, a scowl on his face. He was clearly bracing for the impact, and she could see it would cost her dearly when the collision happened. Yet she wanted to hit her, make him suffer…

Her eyes wandered a bit. And saw Boomer. Facing Bubbles. The blond ruff had her back turned to the Powerpuff leader.

Her tactical mind reasserted itself.

She couldn't resist the opportunity. Boomer was about to deal a blow that, if he was not stopped, would take out Bubbles. So she would save her little sister and take out Brick's little brother.

She pretended to go for the Rowdyruff leader. At the last moment, she turned around, missed Brick completely, and went straight to Boomer.

She chuckled silently. She and Bubbles would take care of Brick once Boomer was out.

And then there would be hell to pay!

* * *

 _ **161\. Blue Play**_

 _Meanwhile…_

Both their siblings were frozen as the drama between their leaders unfolded. Boomer cursed himself when he realized that he gave the entire game away.

He saw the blood red eyes of his brother at him, eyes that told him everything, red eyes that made him look utterly small.

Oh, he hated when he does something Brick disapproved! He adored his big brother, worshipped him, would do anything to help him achieve his destiny! Big brother would be Emperor, and he would be at his side, together with Butch, as the one who did the most to help take over the world!

"I am so stupid!" he said to himself loudly, feeling the disapprobation and disappointment of his brother. "Why do I have to call those sissies those nicknames in front of them? I don't deserve to be Duke of Destruction! I am still Dumber than the Dumbest!"

He watched as Blossom sank to her knees, and began sobbing loudly as she learned that her penpal was Brick. Why was she crying like a sissy? So she learned that big brother was actually her penpal.

Big deal!

And the Princess was there, hugging her, comforting her, crying with her. But was that a look of joy in her big sky-blue eyes?

After Blossom finished her crying, she stood up and began talking with his brother. Yet he did not know what was said between the leader's conversation, as Bubbles got his full attention.

"So is it true? You are the Ghosts of Townsville Library and the students of Ms Keane?" Bubbles asked shyly.

"Yeah."

"That is really so cool!" she said unexpectedly. "You were really scary!"

"Yes, we were!"

"And that disguise was neat. But it wasn't very nice to hit us on the head in the library."

"Well, we're not nice," he justified. "And besides, you were getting too nosy. Enough talk! Fight!"

He launched himself at her, so suddenly, that he was able to punch her jaw, and so hard that she was thrown upward, her head snapping back. He followed it up by going to where Bubbles was headed, and put his hands together, and hit Bubbles in the head, sending her down to the ground. If he were Butch, he would continue the assault and not let up. But he was Boomer, and he was content to watch and see the damage done.

"Ha! Take that!" he shouted, looking down at the crater formed by Bubbles' impact on the ground. His dark blue eyes looked at her, hoping that it was enough.

She emerged from the ground, covered in dust, a big endearing smile on her face. She launched herself at him, and he waited for whatever it was that she would do.

She first attacked by throwing a blue energy ball at him, which he dodged. But it was all a distraction as Bubbles was upon him, and gave a roundhouse kick on his jaw, which snapped his head to the side, and followed it up with a punch to his stomach.

She finished it by opening her mouth, and unleashing her sonic scream. He was thrown far away, his hands on his ears.

She followed him as bounced off. He landed on the ground, still too dizzy from the scream. He was worried that she might follow it up while he was weak, which what Buttercup or Blossom might do. But she was Bubbles, and, she began to talk.

"That was mean of you!" she charged, pointing her hand at him and frowning.

"Yeah. We're evil!" he answered, relieved that he was able to recover from that ache in his ears. That sonic scream was scary!

"I mean, you made my sister cry!" she continued, ignoring his answer.

"Well duh! It's a battle! If you cry because we hurt you when we punched you too hard, well too bad!" Boomer asserted. "It's not our fault you're too weak!"

"No! Not that! Blossom will never cry because of pain in a fight," she said. "Your brother made her think that he's someone else! He said he's Kenneth Charles!"

"Well he is! He is Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo!" Boomer justified. "Is there a law that says that he can't use his middle names in letters?"

"That's not the point!" Bubbles insisted. Her mood suddenly changed, and she smiled. "Hey, if Brick was Kenneth Charles, that means you're David Jojo, right?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"You're not Bryan?"

"That's Butch. His name is Butch Bryan Jojo."

"You drew those pictures, right?" she asked, her eyes getting even bigger, and her smile getting wider.

"Yeah. My name is Boomer David Jojo."

"Oh Boomie! That's wonderful!" she said, squealing. "You're really good! You draw buildings better than me!"

Boomer blushed. "You aren't supposed to see those! They're terrible!"

"Oh are they? They're not!" Bubbles replied. "Don't be modest."

"You're just mocking me!" he shouted, having recovered enough to be able to attack her, and closed the distance between them.

He gave a powerful punch with his left on her stomach, and the wind was knocked out of her. She retaliated by kicking him in the head and throwing him far away. He spun around, but stopped himself, saw her standing, looking at him with those big blue eyes, and formed a powerful energy ball, and threw it at her.

Ignoring the pain her body, she jumped in the air, avoiding the ball, and flew away. "Hey, slowpoke, catch me if you can!" she shouted, laughing happily, as she goaded him to chase her.

Which he did. This was a fight, after all. Though what was he supposed to accomplish? He remembered. He needed to knock her out and help his brother, who, by a simple glance, was engaged in a life-and-death struggle with Blossom.

He went after Bubbles, as fast as he could. It would be very difficult to catch her, as Bubbles was the fastest.

But then, so was he…

* * *

 _ **162\. Ogre, Big Bad Wolf, Princess**_

Bubbles began to fly backwards, even if it would slow her down. As Boomer gained, she created a blue energy ball, and threw it at him. He immediately dodged.

She pouted. _He was supposed to use his bat!_ She created more energy balls, and threw it at him.

This time, he created his electric bat, and used it to deflect the attacks.

That made her smile and clap her hands. "Do it again!" she shouted, and threw another set of energy balls as they flew in the air.

He had no choice but to deflect it with his bat. It made her even happier.

She then flew higher in the air, and he was obliged to follow. They actually flew in a giant circle, as Bubbles was not about to leave her sister alone.

She finally stopped just above Blossom and Brick. And he followed, with his bat. She let him come close, and inches away, opened her mouth, and the sonic scream threw him off, dissolving the bat and sending him down to the forest.

Bubbles followed him, but could not locate him in the dark dank woods.

"Boomer, where are you?" she shouted.

"Can't find me?" was his reply.

She looked around, and saw… nothing but black.

"Are we playing hide and seek? I like that game!" she said.

"Maybe!" he replied in his booming voice. She tried to locate where he was based on the voice, but his voice echoed on the trees, and it seemed to be everywhere.

"We played hide and seek with you guys once," she said. "By the way, why do you call Blossom a big bad wolf?"

"Well, I read the story of the three little pigs," he answered, "and I dreamt that she was the big bad wolf in that story, trying to kill and eat me and my brothers!"

"Oh, Blossom would never do that!" Bubbles replied, suppressing a giggle even as she strained her ears to locate her foe.

Foe. In truth, Bubbles really regretted that they should be their enemies. Not only did she have a crush on him—he was so cute!—but then, the other boy whom she admired, David Jojo the artist, was actually Boomer! That made Boomer doubly desirable!

That was the reason she actually had a happy look on her eyes even as she sobbed with Blossom. From her perspective, plotting to take over the world aside, things couldn't have been better! Boomer was David!

If only he wasn't evil! But he was!

But she still liked him!

Even as she tried to batter him senseless! Sometimes, duty could be so unfair! But it was her duty! But she really wished she didn't need to…

Their plot to conquer the world really made things difficult for her! She was trying so hard to persuade her sisters that the boys really were good! And she was so close! Blossom actually gave them a chance!

If they survive this night, she would persist in trying to find a light in the dark tunnel!

"Why? You killed us before!"

"We kissed you, and we didn't expect you to explode all of a sudden!" Bubbles defended. "Besides, you did try to kill us too!"

"We're evil!"

"You were!"

"We still are!"

"So why'd you call Buttercup an Ogre?"

"Well, if you read the story Puss in Boots, I dreamt that I was the Marquis of Carabas, or in that dream, the Duke of Destruction. She was the ogre that turned into a mouse and whom Puss ate," he explained.

"And why did you call me a Princess?" she asked innocently.

...

* * *

Boomer, hiding in one of the branches of the tree, answered before his brain could grasp the implication. "Well in the same dream, the Puss in Boots dream, you were the King's daughter, the Princess, and whom I marr—"

He stopped. He remembered the dream. He was the peasant boy who owned a cat named Puss. Who in his dream was Brick. Who made him the Duke of Destruction.

Just like in real life.

And at the end of the dream, he, the Duke, got engaged to marry the King's daughter, the Princess. Who was Bubbles. Who kissed him in the cheek.

That already came true. Bubbles already kissed him. In the 'apology' press conference where they hugged.

Then would it mean that he would marry Bubbles?

He paled. That's impossible! She was her mortal enemy! But everything came true. Except of course Brick being the cat, and Buttercup being eaten by Brick…

Well, Buttercup was beaten up easily by Brick in the revenge fight, and Buttercup was as helpless as that mouse against Brick the cat.

He shook his head.

"You dreamt that I was a Princess?" Bubbles asked in reply.

Stupid mouth. Why didn't he think? No matter how smart he became, he could always do and say stupid things! Dumber than the Dumbest indeed. Sometimes, he himself thought that he did not actually deserve the title Duke of Destruction.

"None of your business!" he shouted back. He was thankful that she could not see his face, as he was blushing.

He heard her giggle. He could not see her in the dark, as she could not see him. And he was buried underneath the leaves of a thick tree, sitting on a thick branch.

Where was she? He needed to end this fight. Otherwise, he might say something even more stupid, and he might lose from sheer embarrassment. Bubbles seemed to have the ability to make him blush at will!

 _Look at her! Pretending she liked me! If she did, she wouldn't have stolen my clothes and pretended to be me! And for what? Because I stole candy? Princess Bubbles just want to torment me, with all those kisses and embarrassing stuff!_

That incident always gnawed at him, and made him unable to shake his dislike of Bubbles. As he became smarter, he realized how utterly degrading and humiliating that was! He was alone, in his underwear, with girls looking at him!

The horror!

He can never forgive the girls, especially Bubbles, for that!

Besides, Bubbles was a girl, and the six-year-old mind concluded that she had cooties!

She must go down!

Still, among the three Powerpuff Girls, she was the one he disliked the least.

There she was! Below him! Lighted by a pink light. _Where did that pink light come from?_ Never mind. It was the perfect opportunity!

She was floating pass him, just below, with her back facing him.

"Boomer, where are you?" she shouted in a sing-song voice.

He silently approached her, created his electric bat, and swung hard.

It connected with the back of her head!

She fell in a heap, unconscious.

 _It worked. Now time to go and help Brick and …_

Then there was a sharp pain on the back of his head. Then he saw black.

* * *

 _ **163\. The Acknowledgment**_

That was the perfect shot! Blossom hit the blue ruff at the back of his head, and he crumpled! It wouldn't have worked if he was at full strength, as it took three Powerpuff Girls to take out Butch, but even as she was weakened by her fight with Brick, Boomer was also weakened by his fight with Bubbles, and Boomer was also naturally weaker than Butch.

She smiled, but that vanished when she saw that Bubbles was also knocked out, a head wound in the place where she was hit by Boomer's bat.

She was a few seconds late! A few precious seconds!

But now, Bubbles was out, and all that she did was even the field.

Bubbles. Buttercup. Butch. Boomer. All rendered hors de combat.

Only Brick and Blossom were left.

She turned around and looked at him. His red eyes told her he too was shocked by the events.

"Let's finish this," she said in a determined voice. "One way or the other, this entire thing will be settled this day and this night."

"Until one or both of us can't fight," he agreed, snapping out of his shock, "This has to end! No retreat."

With only the two of them left, they continued their seemingly never-ending fight. They tossed all tactical considerations aside as emotions once more ruled their minds. He punched. She punched back. She kicked. He kicked. He pulled her hair. She pulled his. She froze him. He heatbutted her. She laser-eyed him. He zapped her with his eye-beam.

Included in every punch, every kick, every blow inflicted to each were the built-up emotions and pent-up frustrations of the past year or two.

For Brick, all his frustrations of dying, the regiment of Hell of HIM, the resurrection, the humiliation of that first fight after being brought back, the realization of how utterly dumb he was, and especially, especially, _her refusal to acknowledged his growth and learning even after knowing he was her penpal_!

For Blossom, the fact that he was something evil, that she couldn't break him, that despite his being dumb, he was not dumb at all, and her inability, especially in the past few months, to outsmart him. _But it was the betrayal that hurt her most._ The betrayal of Ms Keane, and the betrayal of Kenneth Charles Jojo.

It went on for so long that near the end, many hours later, they were utterly exhausted, and utterly spent. They were drained, and found out to their consternation that they don't have the energy to use their Chemical X powers.

They were reduced to mere mortals.

But they were so intent on hurting each other that neither noticed until both tried to fly, and failed.

Blossom felt like she had been doused with Antidote X, and Brick like he had just made coal into diamonds.

Still, they fought. Blossom saw a piece of wood, and picked it up, and ran and smashed it against Brick's head.

He yelled in pain, then saw a large branch on the ground, picked it up, and hit her stomach, causing her to scream.

She saw a pebble on the ground, picked it up and threw it at him. It hit square on his forehead.

Before, it was nothing. Now it was very painful. He saw a rock and threw it at her, and hit her on the face.

There was another scream.

It was pitiful to see them reduced to fighting literally with sticks and stones.

Finally, they stopped from utter exhaustion. Unable to even lift their arms or move their legs.

They sat down on rocks, breathing hard, looking at each other, body full of pain and broken bones, their clothes torn, his cap full of holes, her bow split into two, her pink dress full of mud, his red shirt brown with dirt.

Now that they were forced not to fight, having let off steam, a bit of their anger and temper left them. They were calmer.

The fight was gone from them. Only tiredness remained, and resignation.

Finally, Brick said, "Let's call this a draw."

Blossom nodded. "Agreed. A draw."

There was silence for a few minutes, as each watched the other warily for any sign that the other might resume the fight, but thankfully, both decided to call it a day.

She spoke first.

"You planned it all, didn't you?" she began, a little hostility remaining in her voice.

"Huh?" he asked, looking at her.

"You planned the entire thing! From pretending to be pardoned before beating us, to that fight, and tricked us into throwing the first punch! Then making it look that it was our fault!" she accused.

"I am an idiot, you say, uneducated nobody who can't spell 'dumb'. How can I plan such a perfect scheme?" he asked, his tone bitter, perhaps expecting her to deny that he was smart at all.

She opened her mouth, then nothing came out. Her irrational outburst was spent, and her rationality reasserted itself.

She cannot deny it. It would be dishonest.

"I am wrong. I am sorry I called you stupid. You are not. You are very smart."

* * *

…

His jaw dropped. _Did Pinky admit it?_

"What?" he said, his ears still not believing what he was hearing.

"You may be evil, Brick, but you are smart. Clever! A genius even! You're not the same boy who did not know how to spell 'dumb'. Brick K.C. Jojo is intelligent, and I admit, as intelligent as me. There, happy?"

A big grin appeared on his face upon hearing it. A sudden wave of contentment came upon him. It was like having a big lollipop or a candy, only better!

If he were older, he would have better control of his emotions, and act like a mature individual. But he was six-years-old, and had not yet fully mastered the art of keeping it in check.

He howled like a wolf, and began shouting and jumping. It was glorious! Glorious! Blossom admitted that he was smart! Pinky! His greatest enemy! The one who said all those bad things about his intellect! Acknowledging him at last!

He jumped to the sky in pure joy.

He was happy!

Blossom gave him what he never knew he needed.

Her acknowledgement of his intelligence!

There was a warm happy feeling upon hearing it! Nothing like the sheer joy washing over him had he experienced before! It was something magical!

He remembered her insults upon his intellect—when, during a dark period in his life, he was dumb! He bore it! Oh how he bore the insults!

Yet it was worth it to finally hear it from her lips!

He was intelligent!

All those months trying to be smart! Going to the library! Pretending to be ghosts! Spying in school! Dragging his brothers to hide on roofs of the elementary school to listen to Ms Keane teach. Begging Ms Keane to teach them. And nearly killing himself each night to make a diamond.

Oh, those nights! When he would burn his hands, when he would lose temporarily lose his powers and be as weak as a child, just to make a perfect diamond to give to Ms Keane.

It was worth it just to hear it from his greatest adversary say that he was smart. For if Blossom told him he was smart, then he really was smart!

All the sacrifices! All the hard work! Just to hear her sweet voice say those sweeter words! " _You are smart! Clever! A genius_ "! It was such a vindication of all his actions during the past months! Ever since he visited the library and learned he was really dumb!

Even if he died right now, even if all his plans to conquer the world when he grew up was dead, it can never take away this moment, when he was acknowledged by the smartest Powerpuff Girl to be very smart and a genius!

Everything he had worked for was worth it, just for that acknowledgment!

On impulse, he dove at her, grabbed her head before she could react, and gave a big peck on her blood splattered and dirt covered cheek!

"You told me I am smart! I am clever! I am intelligent!" he then shouted, running around her in circles. "Yahoo! Yes! Yes! Thank you, Ms Keane! I love you, Teacher!"

His body was at pain from the fight, and it even worsened because of his acts of joy, yet he cared not! He was acknowledged to be smart by Blossom! That made physical pain insignificant! If he only knew how much of a joy making her acknowledge him to be smart, he would not have kept it from Blossom in the first place! The incredible feeling was better than the feeling when he had his revenge! Better than when he forced her to apologize!

He landed on the ground, on his back, laughing hard.

He was like a kid who had been given a new toy by his mother.

* * *

 _ **164\. Ceasefire**_

Blossom was dumbfounded, watching him, take such joy in such a simple thing!

She saw him as she never saw him before. Brick was just like a little boy. Well, he was a little boy, but his mask was stripped away.

All he wanted was to be acknowledged smart by her!

And then he kissed her on the cheek. Probably like how a boy kisses his mother after being given a new toy.

That toy was her acknowledgment.

Such a simple thing, to say he was smart! And yet, so powerful!

All her remaining anger melted upon seeing him like this. Or perhaps she was too tired and too weak to fight and be angry at that moment.

She understood.

Everything was calculated to wring from her that acknowledgment! From the planning, to the battle, to his letters as Kenneth Charles, everything was meant to make her say he was smart.

She wondered. If she acknowledged him as smart before, would he have done all those elaborate revenge plans?

Maybe he was evil! Well, he was evil! She heard him plot with Mojo after all. But he was also just a little boy resentful of being called stupid, when in his core, he knew he was as smart as she.

And every word she spoke to insult his intelligence deepened that resentment.

Oh, how powerful were her mere words! It was the first time that she saw he was genuinely happy! Not sadistic delight, or vengeful cheerfulness, but real happiness!

And despite everything, she found herself happy that he was happy.

She smiled.

Maybe she shouldn't have mocked him before for his stupidity. Sure, he didn't know how to spell the word 'dumb', but maybe it was wrong of her to rub it in his face.

Yet how, how did he become so smart?

Ms Keane.

"Tell, me, Brick, how did you get Ms Keane to teach you?" she asked, curious.

His eyes darted on her, and he sat on the ground, in an extremely good mood. "We asked. We haggled, and in the end, we came to an agreement, and she said yes."

"Are you really Kenneth Charles?" she asked again, but more curious than mocking.

"Yes."

"Then tell me this. What is the capital of France."

"Paris."

"What is the largest plant in the Solar System?"

"Jupiter."

"Who was President of the United States for one month before he died, and how succeeded him?"

"William Henry Harrison, and he was succeeded by John Tyler."

"Who said that it was better to be feared than loved, as you can control fear but not love?"

"Machiavelli."

"Yes, you are Kenneth Charles. So, are you going to take over the world?"

"Yes."

"We'll stop you."

"You can try. And you'll fail. It's my destiny to rule this world!"

"That's what every villain said. Yet none succeeded."

"Except Mojo. He did get the key to the world, and became ruler of the world. For however brief a moment that was."

"Yes. But that is different. Give it up right now, and I won't tell anybody."

"I won't. This world belongs to me."

"Then tomorrow, I'm gonna call a press conference and tell the world that you are plotting evil with Mojo, and that you kidnapped—Wait! Why did you kidnap Ms Keane? She's your tutor! And if you're not lying in your letters, you adore her!"

"We do! She is the most wonderful person in the world! She is the best! Nobody is close to her!" he said, his voice full of affection. "I would die for her, you know."

"Why did you kidnap her? Don't deny it! I saw her tied up with Mojo!"

He laughed. "Oh she was just demonstrating our traps to Mojo."

"Traps?"

"Yeah. Designed by your father. We were worried about thieves."

She then laughed hard! Demonstrating Traps! She knew he was telling the truth. Those were the exact same traps in her house!

"You won't tell that I plan to rule the world," he said, red eyes looking at her.

"Why not? I'm gonna do it, you know," she said after she got over laughing at herself. "We're still enemies."

"If you do, I'll charge you with assault."

"You won't."

"Why not?"

"It would break Ms Keane's heart to see us in jail again. That was why you forgave us, right?"

There was a look of defeat in his eyes. "You're right. I can't get you jailed."

"One more thing. I'm sorry."

He was surprised as his red eyes looked upon her.

"For what?"

"For all the thing's I've said about you. You were and still are evil, and I am going to do all to stop you, but I was wrong to mock you for your intelligence. I should have known better," she said with genuine contrition.

"It's okay. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gone and made myself and my brothers smart. I would have remained, as you said, boorish, oafish, stupid, uncouth. Yes, you were right. I was those things," he laughed.

"Now you're not."

"So, are you still gonna tell all the world of my evil plans?"

"Yes. I'm gonna tell all. I am still a superhero, and I have a responsibility to the world."

"Three days."

"What?"

"Give me three days, and I'm gonna give you a good reason why you should keep this a secret."

"Why should I?"

"Because I asked. Just three days, please? What harm could it do?"

"You will kill us."

"We won't. It would break Ms Keane's heart. I promise."

"Okay. Three days," she gave in. After all, what harm could it do? She was determined to do it, yet she was curious about what Brick could offer that could dissuade her from her course of action.

And he was still Kenneth Charles. How could she not give in to a request of her penpal? Even if he was actually Brick?

He stood up, and walked, or rather dragged himself, to the woods.

"In the meantime, how about a temporary truce? Don't attack us, and we won't attack you. Or do anything to make the other miserable," he proposed.

She looked at him, but did hesitate to reply. "Yes, but, in the meantime, if you try to take over the world…"

"I got it. We'll behave," he replied. "And don't tell the world too that Ms Keane is our tutor."

"I won't."

He nodded. He stood up and walked to his siblings.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting my brothers."

She watched as he went to where Boomer was, and tried to carry him. But Brick was so weak was he that he was unable to. Finally, he tried pulling him by the arms, but he was unable to.

Pitying him, she also dragged herself, and said, "You must help me get my sisters too."

He nodded. He carried Boomer by the arms, and she carried him by the legs, and together, they just barely were able to lay him down on the grass by the clearing. Their body ached even more as they carried him.

They then went back and got Bubbles. Then Buttercup, and finally, Butch.

It utterly drained them.

So much so that she sat on the ground, then within minutes, fell on her back, besides her fallen sisters. She closed her eyes, and was soon asleep, just as the sun rose.

Sunrise.

So they fought literally all night. Brick looked at his brothers. They were lucky. They got taken out early and had a nice long nap. He and Blossom literally were at each other's throats the entire night.

Yet it had a salutary effect. They were able, after all that, to have a civilized conversation. Even if she did threaten to upset all his carefully laid out plans.

He closed his eyes, and a wave of tiredness overcame him, and he collapsed, and unconsciously fell on top of Blossom, his head resting peacefully on her shoulder, on a deep, dreamless sleep.

...

* * *

He looked at them. He had just arrived, at dawn, riding his robot, and was shocked.

Six superpowered kids, all knocked out, bloody and beat up, on a clearing, covered with the morning dew.

All of them, helpless, before Mojo Jojo.

 _End of Chapter 16._

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **DPSS** ,

 _Alright, the PPGs are totally not gonna get away with this. Number 1, stalking. Number 2, invasion of property. Number 3, unprovoked assault AGAIN. Number 4, not a single person in there is gonna testify against the boys. Not even Misses Keane. If they keep this up, they're really gonna end up in jail for real and they'll have no one but themselves to blame. It doesn't matter that they are technicaly right. The world is not fair and technicalities have no value. And with the way they are acting, they are gonna learn this the hard way._

True. But the girls have an ace, and that is, the boys wanted to keep the world from learning about their plot to conquer the world.

And more importantly, they knew how much the Powerpuff Girls meant to Ms Keane, and they would not want her to cry again if the girls got jailed.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** ,

 _Rip_

 _Hope everything turns out okay_

Well, things look way better in the end of this chapter than at the end of the last chapter.

* * *

To **Ash141** ,

 _I love this story so much, it's so well thought & crafted beautifully! But I have a question: Do the Boys & Girls look like normal kids? Because I think, even with disguises, if the Boys walked into the library without fingers or noses the people there would notice who they were, kids don't just not have fingers & noses you know. And after you finish with this story will you continue it to where they're in Middle School & then High School, because I'd really like to see them growing up in your perspective. Anyway this is an awesome story & I can't wait for the next chapter! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Thank you very much. Well I suppose they would be noticed, but to the people, the Rowdyruffs have a definite appearance, with their clothes, etc. And of course, they were rude, etc. And the townspeople are not that bright at all.

I would probably continue until they become adults if I have the time, though it would take a while until they reached their teen years.

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _Wow I love how the story is progressing and it's layout. We get to watch the boy (and girls) grow up towards their destiny. I thought you would have the boys in foster care but who better to raise them than "their own father, their Sire and creator, and now teacher in science and math, Mojo Jojo!" Lol. I agree, they deserve to have a a proper childhood and they all want and crave it, especially Boomer. I am glad fanfiction allows us the powers to write our own destinies for the characters we love, because I honestly don't think the original creators would get it right or that it would be as satisfying. I honestly would love to see the rowdyruff boys in control of the world rather than Mojo or HIM as seen in other fics. Poor Blossom. She will never will be able to escape her hunch, for it is correct to some degree that the boys are up to something. She is just a step behind. She is missing something big and I hope she figures it out soon or let it go because it is going to eat her alive. Ugh Mojo's dialog is so exhausting to read but I'm glade you enjoyed writing it. Good work. Until next chapter, YxYY lover out! Peace_

Yes, I prefer Mojo as a parent, as it was shown that he really did care for his boys. And I think he would be the best chance for them to have a proper childhood, among all the other adults, as he really is their parents!

And Blossom finally found out the truth in this chapter. And hopefully, that final fight would prove effective in making her sensible.

Mojo's dialogue is unique, I would say. Just listening Bubbles speak in Los Dos Mojos when she thinks she is Mojo always puts a smile on my face.

* * *

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _Busted indeed!_

 _The girls find out about the boys' plan, and think they kidnapped Ms Keane!_

 _I agree with the others though, this was a very big mistake on the part of the Powerpuff Girls. But as of now, the boys are in a delicate situation. With Butch gone, they are outnumbered, and would surely lose any fight._

 _Let's see how the fight goes, and what the aftermath is._

Yes, it was a big mistake. But at least it led them to the truth, and even though it hurt, they needed to know it sooner than later.

* * *

To **John** ,

 _Nice update!_

Thanks.


	17. IV-Truth

**An Education For Power**

The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 17. Everything is revealed. Blossom knows Brick is her penpal, and Ms Keane's student. Brick wants the Girls to allow the Rowdyruff Boys to continue plotting and to continue pretending to be good. How will the boys persuade Blossom to do so?

* * *

 **Book IV**

 **Agreement**

* * *

 **Chapter XVII**

 **Truth**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you_.

 ** _165\. The Perfect Opportunity_**

 _July 24, 2005, Sunday_

This was the perfect! Mojo Jojo would not have a better opportunity than this one! The three Powerpuff Girls were knocked out, helpless, before him, the evil genius who wished so hard that the girls would be gone! And now, he would have the opportunity to get his wish.

He recalled the previous night. He had just gone to his car, after saying his goodbyes to his sons, after inspecting his new home. Then there was an explosion. Butch was knocked out, and there were the three accursed girls!

He was unprepared! He had no robot, no weapon. He was just an ordinary chimp with an oversized brain and an ordinary vehicle.

He saw Butch and Brick confronting the three Powerpuff Girls, and he knew it would not end well for his boys. Terrified of getting beat up, he raced home—he was thankfully ignored—to get weapons and robots to help his sons. He was sure that the girls had heard them conspire to take over the world, and saw Ms Keane tied up, and had drawn the obvious conclusion.

That demonstration of the trap was a trap!

But things were not so smooth. He got a flat tire on the way to the city. Then there was a traffic jam because of an automobile accident at the intersection. Then he ran out of gas. He had no money, so he held up the gas station with an ordinary gun. He got arrested for his pains. So he had to devise a quick escape plan.

By the time he got to his observatory and activated one of his many Robo Jojos, it was already sunrise.

He was glad that the girls were not victorious. But neither were his boys. The boys apparently made it into a drawn fight. And all of them were sprawled before him, helpless.

An evil grin graced his face.

"Nothing could stop me, Mojo Jojo! I, the evil Mojo Jojo, doer of dastardly deeds, the epitome of evil, the former ruler of this world, will finally have my day! Before me are my worst enemies! And they are not the best, but the worst, meaning that they were what caused me so much pain and humiliation! Those being the Powerpuff Girls! Who are my worst enemies! And here they are, which is to say that they are not elsewhere, where I can't find them, but here, right in front of me! And they are here, helpless, that is to say, they cannot help themselves, and they cannot thus do anything to stop whatever it is I wanted to do to them, Muahahahahahaha!"

He looked at them, contemplating his course of action.

"What to do? I could destroy them right now. Nothing could stop me! Not the Powerpuff Girls! And all the world will weep, will cry! The Professor, I will break your heart! Ms Keane, I will—"

He stopped.

"Ms Keane. Sandy Keane. That is a problem. If I break her heart, I will make her sad, and if I make her sad, I will make my sons angry, and I cannot have custody over them. And they will fight me and I will lose. And I wanted so much to be a father to them, to prove that I can be the better man to help them prepare to conquer the world! If I did this, I will never conquer the world, since the boys would beat me up for making their Teacher sad! Curses!"

Right there, and then, he decided not to go through with it. He was too committed to his plans with Ms Keane and the boys, and that killing the girls would ruin all of that.

He sighed. He hoped that his sons would appreciate the things he was sacrificing for them! Namely, the perfect opportunity to get rid of his most persistent foes, the Powerpuff Girls, just to get an opportunity to raise them up as decent rulers of the world.

He picked up all six kids, and flew towards his laboratory.

* * *

 _Later…_

He looked at all six, bandaged, wrapped, healed, but sleeping. He knew he was forgetting something, someone.

But who.

He looked at the girls, offsprings of Professor Utonium. He looked at the boys, his sons, who were taken care of by Sandy Keane.

Ms Keane…

He forgot about her! She would kill him and she would call the entire thing off…

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Ms Keane opened her eyes, and tried to stretch. Only she can't. Her hands were still stuck behind her, and her body was still covered by rope. At least she wasn't gagged.

She was supposed to be untied after the boys had walked Mojo Jojo out, but they never returned. There was an explosion, and then nothing.

What happened? She shouted herself hoarse trying to get attention, but she gave up after an hour or two. Jumping to get some sharp objects she discounted, as her fingers were wrapped in tape—such an efficient invention the Professor made! She guessed that there were villains who attacked, so she settled on just waiting.

She fell asleep, and expected to be free when she awoke. So, it was a shock when she woke still tied up. She was getting fed-up. Where was everyone? Did everyone forget about her?

"Hello! Help! Untie me! Boys? Please!" she shouted once again, hoping that there was someone who would hear her. But she was in the middle of the forest, Fuzzy's former home, so the chance of someone hearing was close to nil.

Then door opened. It was Mojo Jojo. He entered, and began apologizing.

"I am so sorry. I apologize. It was not my intention to leave you like that, that is to say, I did not deliberately leave you tied up here in the couch, in this house, that we are presently located. I did not want to leave you here like this all night, because it was my belief that it was the responsibility of your boys to untie you, and because I fled, I thought that it would be your boys who would untie you, and thus, it was not in my mind to think about your situation. And thus, to compound the problem, I think that—"

"Just untie me, please," she said, interrupting his long-winded explanation.

Mojo's nimble fingers, being used to tying up victims and untying them too, easily undid the knots. As he did so, he explained the situation.

"What? You left them all alone?" Ms Keane scolded.

"Either that or leave you here," he answered as she rubbed her wrists, bringing back circulation.

She wasted no time. She ran towards the garage, got her car, and raced towards the observatory.

* * *

 _Later…_

She nearly cried upon seeing them. Butch and Buttercup were relatively unscathed—only welts on their heads indicating any sort of injury. Boomer and Bubbles were badly beaten up, but it was nothing to compared to the leaders. They were broken in every part! Their bodies were full of wounds, their bones were broken in a million places, their faces nearly unrecognizable because of all the dirt and blood, and their blood count dangerously low. Their clothes were ripped to shreds.

They were now covered with bandages like mummies, and their bodies in hard casts.

"Luckily, they have chemical X. And they will heal fast. Tomorrow, the leaders can remove most of the casts, and they could move, but they need more time to rest. Buttercup and Butch will be good as new when they wake up, while Bubbles and Boomer only need the rest of the day," the creator of the Rowdyruff Boys explained.

She nodded before calling Professor Utonium using Mojo's phone.

* * *

 ** _166\. Looking Back at the Letters_**

…

 _Later…_

Blossom opened her eyes, and she could see Buttercup, looking fine, and Bubbles, still having bandages wrapped around her forehead, and her arm in a cast, looking at her. She looked at herself, and her body was covered with bandages and was in a cast too.

They were in the Professor's lab.

"Professor!" Bubbles shouted, "she's awake!"

She remembered what had happened, and her eyes focused on her two sisters.

Then the Professor arrived.

"How are you?" he asked, tenderness evident in his voice.

"I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Buttercup asked.

"Didn't Bubbles tell you?"

"We waited for you," the green puff said.

"Dad," she looked, "I'm so sorry. I was wrong. The boys, the boys, they were not stupid. They were very smart. And they were Ms Keane's students."

"I know," he said, looking at her. "I talked to her."

"But why? Why did she teach them? Even if they were evil?" she asked.

"It's better if you talk to her, and it's better if she gave you the explanation," he gently said, "but trust me, it's for the best."

"But are they still evil?" asked Buttercup.

"Yes," she said.

"What about their plan to conquer the world?" the green puff asked.

"We'll talk about it later," she said. "I'm sorry, Professor. I underestimated them."

"That's okay. We all make mistakes."

* * *

 _Later…_

It was after dinner. The body cast had been removed, and she could move about the house. There were still bandages, and minor aches, but it would be gone within two days. Having Chemical X in the blood was a big advantage. If she were an ordinary person, she would have remained bedridden for months!

She was in their room, alone. Her sisters were downstairs watching television. Glad for the privacy, she rummaged through her chest that contained her most precious possessions.

There they were! Dozens of white envelops, arranged by date, at the corner. Her precious letters. The letters of Kenneth Charles Jojo.

He was Brick. How could she have been so blind?

Still, she could not resist going over the letters once more. Brick said that he did not directly lie to her in the letters, that he never made a deliberate falsehood. She wanted to see if his claim was true.

…

* * *

 _December 16, 2004_

 _…_

 _I am not yet as smart as you, Ms Utonium, but I am catching up. And I am gonna be the smartest! Just you wait._

 _…_

* * *

Did he lie? She looked at the date. Probably not. He certainly was not as smart before as he was at present. He was learning fast, and during that time, he hadn't caught up to her yet.

…

* * *

 _April 19, 2005_

 _My parents are pretty secretive, so I really can't tell you much without making them angry. And before you say that they won't find out, they will. Trust me, they will._

 _…_

* * *

It was true, probably. His parents were Mojo Jojo and HIM. And they would be angry if Brick told their secrets.

…

* * *

 _April 18, 2005_

 _I can't imagine being one, since I don't want to be controlled by what people ought to think we should do._

 _…_

* * *

Brick can't imagine being a hero. Technically, it was not the same as refusing becoming a hero or not becoming a hero at all. He can't imagine being a hero, yet he was acting as a hero.

No lying there.

…

* * *

 _April 26, 2005_

 _…_

 _I should know, since I saw the fight with the monster, and how you struggled. I was worried at first. I was afraid you'd lose…I really would like to meet you soon. I assure you, you probably have seen us as you scanned the city. We're just ordinary looking boys, and you probably never guessed it was us that you saw … And you actually looked at us that day, but it would never cross your mind that the three boys you saw were the students of Ms Keane that was tutoring._

 _…_

* * *

Was he lying? She was not sure. It was not impossible for him to see the bug monster fight, as it did happen in the middle of the city. And she did struggle, so it was natural that there was worry that she would lose. After all, if she lost, how could the boys have their revenge?

And aside from the red eyes, they were ordinary looking boys. And if they were among the crowd watching the fight, the girls probably saw them. And even if she recognized the Rowdyruffs, she never would have guessed that they were the same students Ms Keane was tutoring.

…

* * *

 _May 2, 2005_

 _Ms Utonium, you were defeated? Well, the important thing is that you are alive and well. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone who didn't already know about it that you were beaten by the Rowdyruff Boys._

 _…_

* * *

Since nobody ever found out that they were beaten by the boys after the bug fight, Brick was probably telling the truth when he said he never told anyone else, who already didn't know about it.

…

* * *

 _But that doesn't change the fact that you saved the city from the monster! That achievement is a feat worthy of celebration! Don't let a mere defeat (which judging by what had happened since) that is unimportant to the city, dampen your spirits._

 _Look at the city now. What was the consequence of your defeat to the Rowdyruffs? As of now, nothing. What was the consequence of your victory over the monster? The city still stands and people are still alive!_

 _…_

 _I promise you, our meeting is very close._

 _…_

* * *

It was not unimportant, but only because of hindsight. Since the letter was before the fight in the city, it looked inconsequential, basing from what had happened. And before that fight, it really looked trivial, as nothing came from it. The Rowdyruffs did not immediately follow up on their victory of the unknown fight. It was Blossom and the girls that actually lied to the public about that one.

And Brick kept his promise. They met. Only that Blossom did not realize it.

But Brick deceived her. There was no question about it. But he did it in a way that avoided overt lies. So, he could truthfully say that he did not lie to her.

Wait! If Brick did not technically lie, what of the other statements? Or his opinions?

She again scanned the different letters, looking for complimentary opinions.

…

* * *

 _…_ _you are the famous Blossom Utonium, leader of the Powerpuff Girls, and you and your sisters are the most powerful girls in the city, or even the world! A normal boy with no powers should be out of your league._

 _…_

 _And no, you are not ordinary girls. You are special, and don't you ever deny it. You are NOT ordinary. You are on a level above ordinary kids. No matter what you say, you and your sisters are not equals to the ordinary people. That makes you better than all of them. You are superior because of who you are and what you are._

 _…_

 _And I watched the news, and you came off really well! I like how you led your sisters and crafted them into one efficient team._

 _My hats off to you!_

…

* * *

So Brick was of the opinion that the Powerpuff Girls were special, not ordinary, and superior to ordinary people. He also admired Blossom's leadership.

Was he lying?

Surely, he was lying, and he didn't mean it. But he never lied on all the other things, so that should mean that he meant those kind words.

She needed to ask him. Sure, it still hurt. She wrote him that she trusted him, and he betrayed that trust.

But did he actually betray the trust? She wrote him that she trusted him in telling him that they were defeated after the bug monster fight, and that he should tell no one.

And it was true. None came out, neither did any other secrets that she entrusted to him.

The only thing that he got from the letters was the fact that she had underestimated their intelligence. She felt so foolish writing how she felt that the Rowdyruff Boys were stupid and dumb and cannot make plans. She was sure that her careless writing contributed to the boys' plans for revenge.

 _Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo._ She stared at the letters.

She wanted to destroy them.

Her eyes glowed.

It would be so easy.

Then she stopped.

She cannot.

They were too precious. No matter what, they were the only conversation of its kind she had with a peer her age. She wanted a kid who could converse with her like she wanted to be talked to, and where she wouldn't have to dumb down her words.

She wanted someone who would be as smart as her, and who would be her intellectual equal.

The author of the letters remained that boy, even if he was revealed to be her enemy.

Brick, she had to admit, was her equal, in every sense of the word. From strength to power, but also brains, intellect, and leadership.

He would be her challenge, her competition.

Pity that he was evil. But if he was not, then maybe he would not strive to be as smart as her.

She began hoping that he would be able to give a reason that she could accept in two days.

* * *

 ** _167\. Despair and Hope_**

 _The next day, July 25, 2005, Monday…_

Brick did not know how he should feel.

On one hand, he was happy. Blossom admitting that he was clever and intelligent, and a genius, really made his day. It made him contented, and closed a chapter of his life. Gone were the days where he could not spell the word 'dumb', where he and his brothers were mocked and insulted because of their stupidity, and were, despite their power, pathetic and had no future.

Blossom closed that book. Her words made it all worth it. All his decisions were vindicated. He could do no wrong on that score.

Yet he was sad and worried. For although one chapter of his life was over, the next chapter threatened to be cut off before it had even begun.

For as he was completing one goal, that of becoming smart, gaining revenge, and securing recognition, he made another goal, a grander goal, a goal worthy of his power and his intelligence and his evil nature—that of ruling the world.

Everything not directed at revenge and acknowledgment went to preparations for ruling the world. It would be his ultimate vindication! He will rule everyone, from his brothers down to the lowliest life on earth. It was his dream, his purpose. Every waking moment, he daydreamed of how it was to rule the world, how to achieve it, what he will do once he achieved supreme power!

Everyone will acknowledge not only his intelligence, but his power, and everyone will obey every word he says.

Nothing less would be worth it for someone as great as Brick.

And then Blossom and the Powerpuff Girls had threatened to expose them to the world. Ruining everything.

…

* * *

They were in the basement of Ms Keane for tutoring, but no one, including Ms Keane and Mojo Jojo, were in the mood for any lessons.

"Is this the end?" the leader asked after the exchange of pleasantries.

"It can't be the end!" Boomer shouted. "So what if the girls know about it?"

"Yeah! Let the world know about it!" Butch added. "Those little Powerpuff tricksters can't stop us!"

"Yes they can," the redhead said, "for how can we pretend when they world knows what we're up to?"

"But would the people believe, trust, have faith, in the words of the Powerpuff Girls?" Mojo Jojo asked.

"Yes. The people love them! If they didn't, they wouldn't have easily forgiven them time and time again! Townsville is Powerpuff City, and we're not heroes long enough to earn that kind of trust," Brick asserted, his tone in despair. "It would be their words against ours, and no matter how heroic we act, they would believe them over us!"

"The last fight was the worst thing ever!" Butch said in panic.

"I agree," the leader concurred. He had no plans of telling his brothers Blossom's acknowledgment. "But what can we do?"

"Could we ask the girls not to tell the people about the plan?" Boomer suggested.

Brick shook his head. "They would never do that, will they, Ms Keane?"

"They have a duty to tell," Ms Keane agreed, her head shaking.

"Because if the whole plan fell apart, you either have to really be good, or to return to being unapologetic villains!" Mojo Jojo said.

"I don't like either choice," the leader said miserably.

"Perhaps I could help?" Ms Keane proposed.

The others looked at her.

"Our dilemma is that the girls know that you're all doing this to conquer the world, and thus, you're not really good," she began. "And it's their duty to stop you, or they would be sorry little superheroes. But what if, they could be persuaded that all of this is not really for conquering the world?"

"What do you mean?" asked a curious Butch.

"What if they think that you're actually becoming good?" said the teacher.

"But we're not!" Butch argued.

"Yes. But we'll make them think so."

"Would that help?" asked Boomer.

"I think so. Let's say I explain to them that I have a cunning plan. Say, that the reason I'm actually in this plot, was to make you good without you realizing it. Say, my plan would be that by making you obey the laws and pretend to be good to prepare to conquer the world, you would actually become good, without you realizing it, and think, eventually, that conquering the world is futile. All without sacrificing your pride or having to openly renounce evil."

…

* * *

Mojo Jojo stared at the teacher.

Was she saying what she's saying?

Clever! Clever!

He looked at Brick, whose red eyes widened, and a wide grin formed on his face. "Yes, that could work. If Pinky could be persuaded that all of this was to secretly make us good by making us pretend to be good, then she'll have no reason to spoil our actual plans, and we don't have to change anything at all! Will you tell the girls that?"

"It would be my pleasure. And I think you'd better do something else," she advised.

"What?" asked the leader.

"Make an agreement with Blossom. Not a temporary truce. But a permanent one."

"Or at least one until you grow up and do the actual conquering," Mojo interjected.

"Yes," the leader agreed. "How about this. We won't attack them. They won't attack us. And we will never do open villainy."

"That would be fine," she said.

"Thank you, Ms Keane," Brick said, hugging her. "I wouldn't know what to do without you."

Boomer and Butch went around her and hugged her too.

"Yes. Without you, we'd never be able to conquer the world!" Boomer said.

Mojo Jojo looked at them in amazement. Ms Keane, at this moment, owned the boys _lock, stock, and barrel_. He really had his work cut out for him if he was to make sure they would actually conquer the world when they grow up.

But, to the chimp, the beauty of her scheme was, that Sandy Keane cannot actually deny that she wanted her boys to rule the world. That would be a breach of trust. If the boys really do try to conquer the world, she would have to support them all throughout, or expose herself as a liar.

* * *

 ** _168\. Ms Keane's Explanation_**

 _Later…_

Ms Keane dismissed the tutoring class quite early. She was not in the mood for teaching. One good thing about a tutorial, in contrast to an ordinary class, would be her freedom to dismiss her class early or extend it. Either way, Brick would always give her her diamond payment.

She and Mojo Jojo were talking as the three boys flew off and disappeared into the sky.

"That was quite ingenious of you, Ms Keane! I take my hat off to you, for coming up with the plan! Tell me, how did you come up with such a plan?" he eagerly asked.

"Because we know that the girls would keep on tormenting the boys, and being a hindrance, since they knew that the boys are plotting with you to take over the world," she proudly explained. "So I thought, why not make them think it's all a plan to ultimately turn you all to good? Then they won't stop us, and even help if they think it will do good."

If he only knew that it was actually her true purpose! Still, was it a mistake to blurt it all out? Would they actually think that that was her actual plan, not a mere ploy to keep off the girls? She dismissed the concern. The boys trusted her too much for them to think that. But Mojo, on the other hand…

"I hope the girls buy it!"

"I hope so too," she said.

"Well, I have to go. Keep me informed of whatever results this diabolical plan of yours have. I am interested, as it will determine the course of my life and that of my sons for the foreseeable future."

"I will."

With that, Mojo Jojo left.

Ms Keane went to the phone and dialed the Professor's number. "Hello John? Yes. Are the girls home? Are they okay? They are? Listen. I need to have some explaining to do. Is now a good time? It is? Good. I'll be there in an hour."

* * *

 _Later…_

Ms Keane parked her car outside of the Utonium residence. She was feeling nervous, yet at the same time, excited.

At least, all the secrecy would be gone, and she could again be open to everyone she cared about.

She smiled. Her plan was, as Mojo Jojo complimented, ingenious. And the best part of it was, that she would not have to lie at all to the Utoniums! She would be telling the truth! And with the blessing of the Rowdyruff Boys!

She walked to their door and pressed the doorbell.

 _*DING DONG*_

The door opened, and Professor Utonium opened the door.

"Sandy!" he greeted, and the two hugged.

"John," she said, before entering.

"Ms Keane!" Blossom greeted.

"Hello, Ms Keane!" Bubbles welcomed.

"Hi Ms Keane!" Buttercup added.

The three girls appeared in front of her, standing politely. She looked at them, and there was no sign of any disappointment, no sign of any anger, no sign of anything amiss. Their big eyes said it all—the Powerpuff Girls were genuinely happy to see her. After all, it was summer, and the last time they had seen each other was during the last day of school.

They went and sat in the couches of the living room, the girls serving her coffee and snacks, making small talk.

After about twenty minutes, the elephant in the room could no longer be ignored, "Girls, there is something I need to tell you. It's about the Rowdyruff Boys."

"Yes, Ms Keane?" Blossom said expectantly, though the Teacher knew that she already found out.

"I am teaching them. You already know them as Kenneth Charles, David, and Bryan, all of them Jojos," she said carefully.

The girls were silent, so she continued.

"I am their tutor, their teacher," she said solemnly.

"But why, Ms Keane?" Buttercup finally asked.

"Because I felt sorry for them," the Teacher replied, having no intention of telling them, or anyone else for that matter, about the diamonds. "Look at them! They were dirty. They were cold. They were ignorant and uneducated. Abandoned. No child should ever experience what they experienced. My heart reached out to them, and I was determined to help them. So, I took them in."

The Professor was silent, having already heard all of this before.

"But they are evil," said Blossom. "Why would they want to be students? I mean, being students means that they can't do as they please, unlike before."

"That's why they refused to be enrolled in school. They said, 'teach us'. Then I told them I would enroll them, but they refused, and demanded that I be their private tutor instead. So yeah, tutoring them offered more freedom than going to school," she said. "And as you know, homeschooling is a legal alternative in our state."

"But why approach you?" Bubbles asked, curious.

"Because they saw me teach you girls," said Ms Keane. "Remember the time when they burned the chair and you got the blame, Buttercup?"

"Don't remind me!" the green puff frowned, folding her hands in front of her.

"They were actually listening while I taught class, so they could learn."

"What? They were there to actually learn? Not to annoy us?" Buttercup asked in astonishment.

"Well, they did make a nuisance of themselves, but the actual purpose was to learn, not to play pranks on you," the Teacher explained.

"But why?" asked Blossom.

"Well, they were reading in the library at night. They would sneak in when nobody was looking, but there some nosy people, so they donned the sheets and pretended to be the Ghosts of Townsville Library to scare them away. But you camped in the library at night, and so they had to think of some other way to learn. They saw you flying to school, and saw you learning, and decided that that was a swell way to learn."

"But why go to the library at night in the first place?" Blossom asked, persistently.

"Well, they wanted to learn. One day, Brick stole your book as you were returning it to the library. You got it back. Then he followed you. And saw all those books. And decided that the best way to learn was to read in the library. Since he did not want to attract attention, he had to do it at night."

"But why did they decide to learn in the first place? I mean, before, they were content with the state of their intelligence," the leader persisted. "They even thought that they were smart!"

"That's true. They didn't even read books. But then, when Brick stole your book, he found out that he liked reading books, and was good at it, and so, he went back to the library just to find more books," the teacher explained. "To simplify, he found out that the world 'dumb' really has a 'b' on it, and that set it off. That made him realize how lacking in intellect he was, and that was the reason he wanted to learn."

There was silence as the teacher stopped for a while, and she looked at the three girls. She looked at Blossom.

"I am sorry, Blossom, but when you called him all those names, when you used all those big words to confound him, it cut him deep when he found how true they were. He felt small. He was ashamed that he was not as smart as he thought he was. He wanted to become as smart as you."

"So he was telling the truth," Blossom said under her breath. "If I had not insulted his intellect, none of this would have happened. Everything, everything was because of _me_."

"Don't blame yourself," the teacher answered. "After all, sooner or later, he would realize his deficiencies and would seek to correct it."

"I want to ask a question. Did you know about their plan of revenge?" Buttercup asked, diverting the topic.

"No, I did not."

"Ms Keane, don't you know that they are plotting to take over the world?" Blossom asked.

"Yes."

* * *

 ** _169\. Acceptance_**

There was a deafening silence.

"Well?" Professor Utonium asked, breaking the silence.

"Like I said, I felt sorry for them when they came to me. I really wanted to help them, and as a teacher, I really couldn't stand to see them like that—dirty, ragged, ignorant. But there were limitations. I cannot tell them to stop being evil and go all morality on them."

"So that was why you called me about, Sandy? Didn't you say, and I quote, 'Well, I wanted someone to change. Well, let's say from evil to good. But I can't tell him directly that he should stop or that's he's wrong, or he'll stop listening,' on the phone, right?"

"Yes, that was it."

"So as you advised, I decided to do it indirectly. I would never ever nag them or lecture them into being good guys. That would drive them away. At first, I didn't know how to go on about it except to be really nice and to gain their trust. Then something happened."

"What happened?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, their original goal is to destroy you, the Powerpuff Girls. I was able to wean them away from that. That's why they didn't kill you when they beat you in the last couple of fights."

"But how?" Buttercup asked, now really curious.

"They changed goals. They decided that destroying you is petty. Their new goal is to conquer the world. And believe me, I encouraged it. I even made a plan for them to conquer the world."

"What? **You, not Mojo, is the mastermind of their whole scheme to conquer the world?** " Blossom nearly shouted, all three girls with stupefied expressions, their eyes wide, they jaw hanging, as they stared at her. Even the Professor was staring at her as if she had grown horns.

Sandy Keane remained nonplussed. "Yes, _I am that mastermind_. The plan is, that they cannot conquer the world in their current state. They need to grow up. They need to have education. So they won't do anything to actually conquer the world until they are adults. In the meantime, the best way to prepare for conquering and ruling the world would be to be educated, to develop manners, to the know the laws, to learn how to peacefully interact in society, to win the trust of the people. In other words, they would 'pretend to be good' while growing up. But of course, I am counting on the fact that when they do grow up, they will love their peaceful life so much, and they will see how futile and how impossible the dream of conquering the world is."

"So they are thinking that they are pretending to be good," Bubbles said, "but in fact, they are really becoming good?"

"Or in other words, they are donning the mask, but they are really becoming the mask," Blossom finished.

"Yes."

"But what about Mojo?"

"Oh that! I wanted the boys to be reunited with their father. Provided, of course, that Mojo behaved. And I've convinced him to support our plan. He will pretend to be good until the boys grow up, and I am sure, like the boys, he would really become good."

…

* * *

Blossom was amazed at her teacher. Coming from her, it sounded so simple, so logical. And it was such an awesome tale. It explained everything—why the boys are doing good and acting like good citizens. Why they proclaimed to the girls that they were still evil, and that they would conquer the world. And why the boys were students of Ms Keane. And why the boys were plotting with Mojo Jojo to take over the world right in front of Ms Keane!

"So girls, I am here on behalf of the boys. The boys would offer you peace for peace."

"What do you mean?" Buttercup asked.

"Don't bother them, or try to attack them. In other words, to leave them alone. In exchange, they won't try anything on you."

"But what about conquering the world?" asked the green puff.

"I assure you, they won't try anything of the sort anytime soon," she asserted. "So how about it, girls?"

"Well, that is a tempting offer. Let me talk it over with my sisters?" the leader asked.

"Take your time," the Teacher said, and the three girls flew to their rooms.

…

* * *

"Well, what do you think?" the redhead asked.

"Take it! Take it! Take the offer!" Bubbles all but squealed. One look at her bright blue eyes showed that she was very happy and very excited.

"Oh you're just saying that because you have a crush on that blue boy," Buttercup dismissed.

"We should," Blossom said.

"Why should we take it?" asked the green puff.

"Because, and I hate to say it, we have no choice. If we don't, we'll have to fight the Rowdyruff Boys, and—"

"Don't say it!" Buttercup pleaded. "Please don't say it!"

 _"We can't beat them_."

" **Noooooo**!" Buttercup shouted, clutching her hair in denial. "We should fight them! I'm gonna pound 'em and make 'em pay! We'll get them next time!"

"We should've gotten them last time. They were only two. We took out Butch. We should have easily won. But we only managed a draw," Blossom argued.

"Don't remind me," Buttercup said, grumbling. She still was sore about the fact that she got tricked and got taken out so early in the fight.

"That's because, unlike before, where we could easily use our brains to outwit and outthink the boys, since the boys were not as smart as before," Blossom began.

"You mean dumb as rocks!" Buttercup interjected.

"Yes, but I promised myself I won't insult the boys' intelligence anymore," the redhead answered. "Now, they're as smart as we are. And they are still slightly stronger. So we are at a disadvantage. So we have to treat with them. As equals."

"I agree!" Bubbles asserted.

"And I'm sorry. It's my fault. If I just kept my mouth shut, the boys would still be what they were before, easily tricked, beaten, and outwitted. I've unleashed a monster."

"Worse than any actual monsters we fought. At least they could be beaten," Buttercup agreed.

"So we agree. We keep the peace with them."

"But you heard them! They would never openly give up being evil or trying to conquer the world!" the green puff argued.

"It won't matter anyway, because they would be 'pretending' to be good to the world, and if Ms Keane is right, they would cease pretending and be actually good," Blossom said.

"We should trust Ms Keane," Bubbles added. "If she said that they would change, then I believe her!"

"Yes, Ms Keane never let us down before," Blossom agreed. "She won't let us down here."

"Yeah. I agree. But only for the sake of Ms Keane," Buttercup finalized.

"And remember, they wouldn't bother pretending to us, since they know we know. So please, if you hear them say they're evil and they're going to conquer the world, just remember that that is part of Ms Keane's plan to make them truly good," the leader advised. "But just because we know we have no choice doesn't mean the boys would think that. We can still drive a hard bargain for our cooperation. Now let's make some terms. Right now, I believe we hold the advantage. We do have to accept Ms Keane's plan, but the boys don't know that. Let's see how far they are willing to go."

…

* * *

 _Later…_

"Ms Keane, thank you for your explanation. It made so much sense, and it explains lots of things," Blossom began. "But as for peace, we would need a couple of guarantees. I believe it's better that Brick and I talk about how we'll go about this. But first, I need a token of good faith from the boys."

She then gave an envelop to her.

"A letter?" asked a surprised Ms Keane.

"Please give this to Brick," she said. It was an inspiration to write Brick. After all, they had an enjoyable correspondence back when she knew him purely as Kenneth Charles. Now that penpal had a face, a personality, and an identity. That it turned out to be her enemy did not diminish, to her surprise, the pleasure and the enjoyment writing to him.

* * *

 ** _170\. To Apologize, or Not to Apologize_**

…

 _Later…_

Brick was eagerly waiting for news from Teacher.

It was night, and they were in the house of the Rowdyruff Boys.

"So how did it go?" Mojo asked as soon as Ms Keane arrived.

"Better than I hoped," she said. "They believed me."

"So they think that your actual plan was to make us ultimately good?" Brick asked.

"I believe so. However, we did not come to an agreement," she answered. "Blossom preferred to negotiate directly with you, Brick."

She took an envelop from her handbag, and gave it to Brick.

He tore it open.

…

* * *

 _July 25, 2005_

 _Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo,_

 _Greetings!_

 _How quaint, how unusual, to write to you again, using that name._ _Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo!_ _What a name! August and impressive. I just hope that the name Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium could come close._

 _Ms Keane came, and I won't bore you with the details, as she probably told you what happened, and if she had not, please ask her. The important thing is that we came to an understanding._

 _But before anything else. I need something. For I cannot in conscience write and negotiate to someone I'm hostile to._

 _I just want one thing._

 _An apology from you and your brothers. To me and my sisters._

 _In person._

 _I won't insult your intelligence to tell you what for._

 _You know._

 _This is a precondition for any further negotiation. If you don't, then everything's off. I would go and call that press conference._

 _Try to stop us then._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium,_

 _Commander and the Leader of the Powerpuff Girls_

…

* * *

"What? How can she demand that?" Brick shouted after reading the letter.

"What did she want?" asked Boomer.

"She wants us to apologize to them," he said. "The nerve!"

Both his brothers agreed. "Apologize to them? That's rich!" Butch said.

"And the thing is, she won't agree to any truce unless we apologize!" the leader ranted.

"They can't do that!" Boomer agreed, gritting his teeth. "We did nothing wrong!"

" _Oh just apologize_ ," Mojo Jojo interjected, earning a gaze from everyone.

"But Pops! We did nothing wrong!" Boomer argued.

"Even if we did, _so what_? They deserved every wrong we did to them!" Butch agreed. "Do we bow down to those power sissies? _Never_!"

"Does it matter? In their eyes, you did something wrong. And their wounded pride would not permit them to treat with you until it is salved. Do it."

"Apologize? To them? _Never_!" Brick shouted.

"Boys, think about it. Think about it from their perspective. Think about your plan to conquer the world," Ms Keane cautioned. "They need something from you. They cannot just give you everything. You need to give them a reason that you're sincere in not attacking them. Otherwise, why would they believe you?"

But Brick knew why they wanted an apology. Brick set them up! He attacked them after that bug monster fight after telling them that they were pardoned. And the entire second fight, provoking the girls to attack first, the girls getting jailed, and the girls being forced to apologize to the boys.

Though _he was not sorry one bit_ , he decided it was best to give in on this issue. Pops was right, after all. They needed peace more than needed their pride.

"We will say sorry. After all, we were horrible to them when we were first created," he conceded.

"Brick! No!" Butch said, looking shocked.

"Please, I can't bear to apologize to them!" Boomer added.

"I know. I can't bear it too! But we must do it!" he said with difficulty. He really did not want to apologize. "After all, what is a little apology to ruling the world?"

"So we'll say sorry?" Butch asked, "Nothing's gonna change your mind?"

"Yes."

"Then let's get it over then!"

"Thank you, boys," Ms Keane, smiling, said.

"Please wait, Teacher," Brick said, before going to his room. Getting a piece of paper and pen, he sat in front of his desk and began to write.

Brick always enjoyed writing to Blossom. So he took pleasure in writing back to her. To him, it felt like the old correspondence, even if he did not have to hide his true identity.

…

* * *

 _July 25, 2005_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Commander and the Leader of the Powerpuff Girls._

 _Greetings!_

 _It is strange to write to you, Ms Utonium, under these circumstances. I still feel that I am pretending to be only Kenneth Charles Jojo, but actually, you already to know that I am Brick Charles Kenneth Jojo._

 _I thank you for your letter. As for your demand, I have only one word._

 _AGREED._

 _Set the time, place, and manner for it. I have just one condition. It should be private. No need for the press or prying eyes._

 _And before you demand an apology for this, let me explain. I had nothing to do with Mr Practice getting you jailed. That was just a surprise to me as it was to you. In fact, if Ms Keane had not already told you so, I agreed to get you out of jail._

 _Thank Ms Keane for that._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, the Master Masher (MM), the Bludgeoner (B), the King of Crushing (KC), and the future Emperor (FE) of the World, and current Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys (RRB)_

…

* * *

He put the letter on an envelope, and gave it to Ms Keane. "Please give it to the Big Bad Wolf," he said.

"I will," Ms Keane said, sighing. "But any reply would be for tomorrow."

…

* * *

 _At the Utonium residence…_

Blossom immediately tore open the letter and read it.

"He agreed! They are going to apologize!" she said, mouth wide. The bluff had worked!

"Really?" Buttercup asked, amazed.

"Told you they're going to become good!" Bubbles added, smug.

"Could you deliver my reply?" Blossom asked Ms Keane.

"Wouldn't it better to just chat or write emails?" asked the Professor.

"The boys don't have email. Or have chat accounts," said Ms Keane.

"And Brick is my penpal. Isn't it so fitting that this all would be done by letters the old-fashioned way?" she said before going upstairs.

…

* * *

 _July 25, 2005_

 _Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, MM, B, KC, and Future Emperor, and Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys_

 _Greetings!_

 _Isn't it grand that I acknowledge you by all the titles you've given yourself? Even Future Emperor! If you behave, I won't stop doing so._

 _Future Emperor! At least your ambitions are not small. Let's see where that will get you, shall we? I wonder what we puny Powerpuff Girls would be in your new empire?_

 _I am glad that you will apologize. As for the time and date, how about July 27, 2005, two days from now? About nine in the morning. As for the place, let's go to the edge of Townsville Forest, not on the ground, but high up in the air. That's private enough. Not your place, just somewhere close. As for manner? You want casual or formal?_

 _And I accept your explanation. I am so glad you had nothing to do with that creep, Stanley and Sandra Practice! And I do thank you, sincerely, for getting us out of jail._

 _See you in two days!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Commander and the Leader (CL) of the Powerpuff Girls (PPG)_

* * *

 ** _171\. Letters of the Reds_**

 _July 26, 2005_

 _To Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, CL of PPG,_

 _AGREED on the time and place. Casual or formal? What do you mean? What if I chose formal? What would happen then?_

 _I know you're sarcastic regarding my self-proclaimed titles, but thank you still._

 _Your title of Commander and Leader is very fitting, given your role and personality, while mine were but vainglorious proclamations of a dumb kid! Still, I'm proud of it! The King of Crushing! The Bludgeoner! The Master Masher! I was the Duke of Destruction too, but I gave it to Boomer. He needed a more dignified moniker than Dumber than the Dumbest, don't you think?_

 _But as you probably know, thanks to Ms Keane, he wasn't anymore that dumb, and he can become quite smart too when he puts his mind into it. And he proved that on certain circumstances, he could be as tough as nails! So he's now the Duke of Destruction! It's fitting too, as it also starts with a 'D', like Dumber and the Dumbest and his middle name, David. And when he's on, he is quite destructive. Even Butch would cower when Boomer is on the warpath!_

 _Yeah. It was no part of my plan to get you jailed. I mean, I have no plans for you to be martyrs, which you would be if you continued to be in jail. The city loves you, even if you do wrong, and the city would turn on me because they would blame me for your imprisonment._

 _See the power of your popularity? You could be queen of the city, and no one would oppose you. I will be Emperor of the World, but it would take years of hard work and dedication to pull it off. You could probably be empress just by declaring that you want to be one, and all the people in the world would fight to be the one to crown you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K. C. Jojo, MM, B, KC, FE, and Leader of the RRB_

 _…_

* * *

 _July 26, 2005_

 _To Brick K.C. Jojo, MM, B, KC, and FE, and Leader of the RRB_

 _Looking forward to the meeting._

 _Formal? Well, we could each proclaim who we are, that you are apologizing in your and on behalf of your brothers, and I on behalf of my sisters and myself, accept. Although it would irritate Buttercup, and if Butch really is her counterpart, your middle brother too._

 _But it would be silly to do all that in a private meeting._

 _On other matters…_

 _I have to admit, the titles and self-importance you give to yourself is quite a handful, even if you are the Future Emperor of this world. Though the fact that you're the most powerful being in the world makes it plausible. So no, I'm not laughing at your titles! I just wondered why I didn't get one as grandiose!_

 _Be proud! As you yourself told me, we are all unique, and we are all powerful. Though we must use it for good. As was said in Spiderman, With Great Power comes Great Responsibility. I am glad that you have realized this too and have started to give back to the world by saving the day. Evil or no, you have battled monsters and villains, and for that, sincerely, I thank you from the bottom of my heart._

 _How you described Boomer is how I would describe Bubbles too! Granted, I don't think Boomer is as sweet, as loving, and as caring as Bubbles, but Bubbles certainly has a certain reputation, which, would be best described by the phrase 'dumb blonde', which by the way, is wholly unjustified. She is certainly smart! And she too, on certain occasion, would be tough and scary! She could be hardcore! Woe betide anyone who provoked my baby sister to be hardcore!_

 _I tell you, if you do so, you won't win. You may not even live._

 _I'm glad of it. And I thank you for restraining the Practices._

 _You're exaggerating my popularity. We are popular right now, but it could easily change. If you were paying attention, we lost popularity as a result of our fight, especially after they all saw us attack you first. And no, that is wishful thinking. I cannot just demand a crown and the entire world will ask, 'what kind?'_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom C.L. Utonium, CL of the PPG._

 _…_

* * *

 _July 26, 2005_

 _To Blossom C.L. Utonium, CL of the PPG_

 _Funny if you think about it, the self-described titles! I gave them while we were tormenting you the first time we met after we were resurrected by HIM. You were my microphone, remember that? We were giants as a result of your kisses! You thought it would work for a second time, but it didn't. Though HIM's solution had a side-effect! We shrank when you insulted us the way you did!_

 _Although thinking about it, I shudder at how immature and how disgusting I was! Although it was fun, it's certainly something I will never ever do again, since it was an affront to our dignity. Though I had to admit, it did freak you out! We were so dumb and stupid back then! And I was so deluded! I thought myself to be smarter, even smarter than you!_

 _Yes, we are currently the most powerful beings in the world, so I don't think it's too implausible that I call myself the Master Masher, etc. Though our power is physical. I aim to achieve political power, and first, rule our city, then our state, then our country, and then the world._

 _Boomer's a little on the scrawny side, compared to me and Butch. Still, he was very fun-loving, and the most sensitive one. He could cry if he could, but he would rather beat up the source of his hurt. Your description of Bubbles certainly fits Boomer! His own hardcore stuff was scary too, though he doesn't need to be angry. That electric bat of his is all that is needed, and could even knock out Butch and Buttercup!_

 _My brother could sometimes be dramatic and theatrical. When I asked him about the formal apology that we're discussing, he was all for it! It was silly, I told him, but he insisted, and said that it is very important. And it would annoy Butch. That decided it for me. Though I would not agree that we wear ridiculous get-ups that Boomer wanted to! That would take being theatrical to the extreme. Besides, there is merit to this formal apology business. It would put an official stamp on this, something that a mere casual 'I'm sorry' would never do, and you could never again use the events of the past against us._

 _Yes, let's do it the formal way. It would be fun, don't you think? We would be all pompous and regal!_

 _You're welcome! Saving the day is certainly fun. I love love punching those godawful monsters and villains to hell and back! Compensates for the fact that we cannot just terrorize the population. Though the only drawback was that we have to wait for them to attack. Luckily, they are stupid, and don't learn, so they keep on attacking and attacking and attacking even when they have zero chance of actually winning._

 _If you don't want to demand a crown, you certainly won't mind if I do when I get sufficient popularity with the people?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K. C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

…

* * *

 _July 26, 2005_

 _To Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

 _Looking back at it, that fight was funny, even though at that time, it was totally disgusting! What you did to us was horrifying! I mean the scabs, treating us like hockey pucks, using us during "Rumble Time", need I go on? But looking back at it, it was humorous, especially the way we defeated you. Yes, HIM's cootie shots certainly backfired. And I'm glad that you are disgusted by your actions._

 _Oh yes, Boomer's bat is certainly wonderful, and dangerous. That was what enabled you to draw on the last fight. Otherwise, you'd have lost silly._

 _Boomer wanted the formal way? Funny, Bubbles agreed also. It would be like playing or something. Funny how counterparts think alike. And Buttercup thought it was all so ridiculous. And if you want it to be like that, let's do it! It ought to be fun! But let's make a bet. If one of us should make a mistake in the grand speeches we leaders make, there should be a penalty._

 _I'm glad you enjoyed saving the day. Though you should do it to help people, not because you enjoyed doing violence! It's not right! But then, you are evil, and you think yourself to be evil, so it doesn't surprise me._

 _Ha! I don't think the people would be foolish enough to grant you a crown. But if they do, and you accepted it, then go for it! I won't object!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom C.L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

* * *

 ** _172\. The Meeting_**

 _July 27, 2005, Wednesday…_

"Wake up!" Brick's voice bellowed. He was at Boomer's room.

"It's six o'clock in the morning!" Boomer complained, but did as asked, yawning and scratching the back of his head. He looked at his stuffed animal, whom he named Mr. Bear, and carefully placed as he made his bed, making sure everything was in its place. "The meeting is at nine."

"Yes, but we need to prepare," said Brick. "This is the first meeting we'll have that won't end in a fight."

Boomer nodded.

…

* * *

"I don't like this," Butch said as they ate breakfast round the table at the kitchen. He was eating some bacon, stripped from a wild boar he hunted a few days before.

"Yes, I know that you, my son, don't like this, but you have no choice," Mojo Jojo said before he ate some eggs. The monkey had been doing groceries as part of his role as father. He didn't mind the meat that the boys were able to procure through hunting, but he supplemented it with fruits, vegetables, bread, eggs, and cereal.

"For our peace of mind, if we are to execute our current plan to conquer the world, you must do the ultimate sacrifice to your pride, and admit you're wrong, and to say you are sorry, that is to say, to apologize. For it is only that that would bring peace, and convince the girls of the sincerity of your pledge not to attack them while we prepare. For if you do so, then they will believe you, and they will believe that you are well on your way to becoming peaceful and good citizens, as Ms Keane assured them. Thus, they would leave you alone, and we can prepare in the open. The girls would not believe we would actually go through with it when you are adults, so they will get a very nasty surprise! Muahahahahahaha!"

"Yeah. Ms Keane is so great!" Boomer seconded, getting what his father was saying. "The girls will not expect us to actually conquer the world!"

"No matter how much we talk or boast about it, or prepare for it," Brick agreed, a big smile on his face. "It is worth our pride, don't you think? The world is worth an apology!"

"I still don't like it!" Butch pouted, "but if you think I should apologize, I will do it."

"Don't worry. You won't have to say a thing," Brick said before he ate another slice of bacon. "Let Boomer and I do all the talking."

* * *

 _Later…_

All three boys were floating at the edge of the forest. All three were clean. They bathed, they carefully combed their hair, and their clothes were all immaculately ironed. Not a button was out of place. They arrived at the designated meeting place at about 8:30 in the morning.

"Let me punch them!" Butch pleaded.

"No! You'll ruin everything!" Brick scolded.

"It's not fair! You and Boomer had a proper fight last time! I got knocked out before I even knew there was a fight!" he whined.

"Then tough!" Brick stated without sympathy. "Be a man! Even Boom Boom here did better than you."

"I know," said Butch, grumbling.

Boomer was silent, looking all around the place for their arrival. He was worried. When Brick told him about casual or formal, Boomer leapt at formal.

Though he nearly chocked when Boomer was told he would speak first and open the entire thing! He became nervous! Dumber than the Dumbest he may no longer be, but he still had the uncanny ability to say something he should not have said, and at the wrong moment too! For example, it was Boomer who exposed to Ms Keane and to the girls that they were the Ghosts of Townsville Library!

Still, it will so fun! It would be a salve to their pride to make the apology look funny, and to show the girls how ridiculous the entire thing was. He already made a plan on how to approach the entire thing, based on things he watched on television! Won't the girls be shocked? They would be speechless!

He looked about, peeling his big dark blue eyes around to see if they have arrived.

Not yet.

It was 8:45, and still no sign of them.

It was 8:50, and looking around, there was no… Wait! There they were. In the horizon, in the direction Townsville City proper. They were at first, a tiny dot. Then they became big balls of light, light green, sky blue, and pink. Finally, those three dots formed themselves into recognizable figures.

"There!" Boomer pointed out, his hands pointing at the girls' direction.

"We know," Brick said, and Boomer shrank. Of course they saw it! It was so obvious!

The girls flew, and then stopped right in front of the boys. The Ogre known as Buttercup. Blossom the Big Bad Wolf. And finally, Princess Bubbles. All wearing their usual color-coded dresses and white tights, and black mary janes.

He still harbored an intense dislike for all three girls! Because the Powerpuff Girls were the enemy! He would like nothing more than to pound their faces to the dust.

Buttercup was frowning. Boomer shuddered. Among all three girls, it was the Ogre whom he feared the most. She was like Butch in fighting, from what he observed, and he was sure he would be given a pounding if he fought her. Thank God he had his electric bat! And her pose reflected strength and aggression and menace. She had the air of a termagant about her, one that Boomer had no wish to confront.

Blossom had a smirk on her face, as if she knew something his brother didn't. Her pose and bearing was regal, her expression full of dignity, her big pink eyes full of intelligence. The Big Bad Wolf looked every inch the leader that she was, a perfect counterpart to Brick. She had the confidence of someone used to command, who was used to authority. Her attention was fully trained at his brother.

Bubbles! _Princess Bubbles._ Who was staring at him with big sky blue eyes, a stare he could not understand. What it a stare of adoration, or something else? Her mouth was twisted in a shy smile, and her face's overall expression bespoke of pure happiness. She was happy. But why? If he knew anything about girls, and he didn't, he would say that Bubbles liked him by the way she acted. But of course, that, he concluded, was wrong. How can Bubbles like him? She was the girl who beat him up for stealing candy, dragged him to the Professor's lab, stole his clothes, and humiliated him in front of his brothers by pretending to be him!

He would never forgive her for that! Never!

Yet that look on the blonde's eyes! What was she looking at? Why was looking at him like that? She was scary.

Well, it's time to start.

* * *

 ** _173\. The "Apology"_**

Boomer went forward, and bowed in an exaggerated manner. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys!" he shouted at the top of his voice, enjoying himself immensely, "we are here gathered to witness this occasion. If there is anybody who thinks that this should not happen, speak now or forever hold your peace!"

He nearly laughed at that! He remembered too late that that was used for weddings!

He looked at the girls. They too were nearly laughing, but kept their composure, as he raised his right and pointed to all the participants.

He then kneeled on the air, surprising the girls and even his brothers, put his hands before his eyes, and raised it to the skies. "Oh how _I hated this idea_! I don't like to apologize! But apologize, _we must_! And now, let the apologizing begin!"

"Wait, it's my turn!"

All were surprised when Bubbles spoke. She was clapping, as she said, "Let me introduce it too!"

Blossom smiled, and said, "go on!"

She went forward, "that's really good, Boomie!"

"Um thanks, Princess."

"Okay. So how do I do it? Oh yes." She breathed deep. And began to speak at the top of her voice, so loud that any louder would unleash her sonic scream, yet in a melodious tone that made it pleasurable to the ears.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Powerpuffs and Rowdyruffs," she began, and slowly rotated herself, her right hand raised and pointing to her siblings and the boys, "this is a momentous occasion! A reconciliation! Forgiveness! _Oh how I waited_ for this! It's so _awesome!_ I think I would faint!"

She then put her hand on her forehead and suddenly dropped to the ground.

Blossom immediately caught her, and whispered, "Don't overdo it!" Then she said in a loud voice, "Are you okay?"

"Just for this event, I'm going to recover!" she shouted, jumping and recovering as if by magic, thoroughly upstaging Boomer. "Let the apology _begin_!"

Brick was about to fly forward but Boomer went in front of him, surprising his brother. Looking at Bubbles, he began, "And now, let me introduce to all of you here! _My leader_ , my brother, the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, Brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiick Kenneth Charles Jjjjjjjjjjjjojo! The greatest of all brothers! The red light to the world! The future ruler of all of you! Bow down to him, and bask in the aura of his glory!"

He then went and made an exaggerated bow to Brick.

 _Top that, Princess!_

But Bubbles was not about to let her counterpart upstage her. "And now, let me introduce to you, the smartest of the smart! The bestest leader there is! The leader with the longest red hair! The top student of her class! The Pink Wonder! The leader of the greatest super hero team in the world! Blooooooooooooooossom Ccccccccatherine Lynnnnnnnnnnn Utonium, the Commander and Leaderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

She finished by kneeling in front of Blossom, bowing her head, and pointing both her hands at her.

Both leaders stepped forward.

"You look better than last time," Brick began, looking at his counterpart.

"Hard not to be. I was covered with blood dirt, as were you."

"True. Let's start. What do you want us to apologize for?"

"Let's see. The way you acted when you were resurrected by HIM. That was totally uncalled for. A fight's a fight but you acted disgustingly," Blossom said.

"Fair enough. What else?"

"And the way you set us up. From the way you lied to us about being pardoned by the bug monster, and the way you made us look guilty in front of the people."

"Okay. Anything else? How about beating you in a fight?"

"No. There's nothing to apologize for in a fight. Once it starts, it your job to beat your opponent if you can."

"Shall we do it casually, or the formal way?"

"Formal way?" asked Blossom, "After what Bubbles and Boomer did, there's no other way! Did you coach Boomer?"

"Me? No. That's all Boomer. Since he wanted formal, I told him to speak first, to introduce the event and me. The rest is his idea. Did you coach Bubbles?"

"Are you kidding? I didn't even tell her she was to speak."

"Then let's get this over with," he said.

"Greetings!" Brick began in a loud formal bellowing dignified voice. "I am Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, Master Masher, King of Crushing, the Bludgeoner. On my left is my middle brother, Butch Bryan Jojo, who is known also as the Baron of Berserk, and on my right is Boomer David Jojo, Duke of Destruction, who gave that awesome introduction. Together, we are the evil Rowdyruff Boys!"

There was silence for a little while, before Blossom spoke in a loud, formal, beautiful and dignified voice. "And I am Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Leader of the Powerpuff Girls, known as the Commander and the Leader. On my right is my middle sister, Buttercup Therese Utonium, the Toughest Fighter. On my left is Bubbles Joy Utonium, the Joy and the Laughter, who also gave that awesome introduction to this apology. Together, we are the Powerpuff Girls, and we fight the forces of evil."

"On behalf of the Rowdyruff Boys, I, Brick Jojo, leader, apologize for all that we have done before that you didn't like. We regret doing all those disgusting things to you when we were first resurrected by HIM, and we also are sorry for setting you up to be blamed by the people when we beat you in the city, including lying to you about being pardoned."

"On behalf of the Powerpuff Girls, I, Blossom Utonium, accept your apology. In doing so, we are opening the negotiations for an agreement that will govern our relations henceforth."

"Thence, I, Brick Jojo, on behalf of the Rowdyruff Boys, do propose to shake hands with our counterparts, to mark the goodwill that would flow forth from this formal apology."

"I, Blossom Utonium, on behalf of the Powerpuff girls, do accept your proposal for the shaking of hands to conclude the apology."

Brick then shook hands with Blossom. Butch with Buttercup, and Bubbles with Boomer.

Then there was applause. It came from Bubbles. Boomer followed, and Buttercup too clapped her hand. Then Butch.

It was a splendid performance, that turned a painful and boring apology into something so much fun!

Then there was laughter. All that laughter being held in since Boomer began talking.

* * *

...

"Well, that's it," said Brick, his tone returning to more casual one after all the laughing and teasing and congratulations were done. "No error. I thought you'd trip up somewhere!"

"Me? I am Blossom. I made more formal speeches than you've dreamed of as Powerpuff Leader. I'm surprised you know how to speak like that!"

"Ms Keane is a wonderful teacher," Brick said, laughing. "She said one of the skills of a leader is to talk formally. So I guess that means we can start hammering the terms of our agreement. How about you don't bother us, and we won't bother you. Let us plot in peace. When we do act, you can try to stop us, but not before."

Blossom smiled. "No so fast. If you want us to acquiesce in your evil plan, you must do something for us."

"Oh a deal!" the Rowdyruff Leader exclaimed.

Blossom got something from the pocket of her dress. It was an envelop. "It's here."

Brick got it, tore the envelop open, extracted the letter inside, and read.

Boomer observed his brother carefully, and his expression changed. There was disbelief in his blood red eyes as it narrowed, and his mouth formed a scowl.

"You can't ask us this!" Brick suddenly shouted to the girls. "I can't take this!"

Blossom laughed. "You are asking us something that we normally we would never agree to. You are asking us to allow you continue to be evil, and to plot with Mojo to take over the world. So in exchange, we want something that normally, you'd never agree to. Don't reply now. Read it again, think, and send a letter of your intentions. But remember, if you want a deal, if you want us to keep quiet about your plotting with Mojo, then you'll accept all of it."

With that, all three girls flew away, and the boys were left floating there. Butch and Boomer looked at Brick, who had an angry expression of one who had been bamboozled.

Boomer got the letter from Brick's hand and began reading it. His eyes widened as he read what the Big Bad Wolf was proposing.

This was impossible! Madness! He knew the girls were up to something!

...

* * *

"You think they'll give in?" Buttercup asked as the girls flew home.

"Oh yes," said Blossom, smiling.

"What if they don't? What if they called our bluff?" Bubbles asked.

"They won't call it," said Blossom. "Besides, they already apologized to us. As far as I'm concerned, the agreement is done. All that has to be hammered out are the details."

"What if they did not apologize?" asked Buttercup.

"We still have to give in, and allow them to plot and pretend to be evil," Blossom said. "That apology made me happy. And it made both of you very happy too!"

"They didn't mean it," said Buttercup. "And do we have to do it with all that theatre?"

"Oh don't be silly. You didn't do anything!" Bubbles playfully scolded.

"And thank God I didn't!" she said. "All of you were silly! And even you, Red! Acting like that!"

"Oh don't be a spoilsport!" Blossom dismissed, "it was fun, and that's what matters!"

"They didn't mean it!" she objected.

"Oh they did mean it! Otherwise, why apologize at all?" the leader replied. "Aren't you happy they did? It's vindication! We were right all this time!"

"Yes, I'm happy they did apologize," said Buttercup in a huff.

"And does that mean that we've buried the hatchet with the boys?" asked Bubbles, a big smile on her face. "What if they didn't accept what you're demanding in that letter?"

"Oh yes. We're not enemies anymore, no matter what they do with my letter. After all, we're bluffing! But I hope they do accept it."

End of Chapter 17

 _As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy and I'll personally reply in the next update. Thank you very much for reading!_

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **DPSS** ,

 _Fuck, Mojo is gonna ruin everything!_

 _Question, assuming Brick has special powers, does he have literaly Hipnotic Eyes? Are those his power_

He does have special powers, but sadly, it's not literal hypnotic eyes. He was just a naturally charismatic boy, especially with that eyes with strange red coloring. Think of someone with the charismatic ability of Churchill, Caesar, Napoleon, Kennedy, and Reagan, or any other successful politician. And of course, not everyone is affected by it. Blossom and the girls, for example, is not, nor is Mojo Jojo.

And Blossom would share this charismatic characteristic with Brick.

Right now, the closest special power that Brick has is the turning coal into diamonds, although it remains a question of whether or not the others could do so. I am planning of giving him fire breathe, but I'm saving it for when he is older. Right now, he doesn't need it, unlike the diamond making ability, which is very very useful.

And thankfully, Mojo Jojo used his head and saw the pitfalls of doing mischief on the kids.

* * *

To **Nexux258** ,

 _Holy shit that was intense. First it was all chaos, then it became peaceful. I honestly thought Blossom would kill Brick for good, but i guess they're so equally matched nobody even won. and... i spoke too soon. Mojo is gonna go ballistic._

Yup, it was certainly an intense chapter. Full of fight, then a peace of exhaustion. And Blossom would like to kill Brick if she could, especially after the revelation, though thankfully, that did not happen. And yup, they were too equally matched.

Mojo Jojo sure was shocked by what he saw, although he did not do anything naughty this time.

* * *

To **JamaicanBlood** ,

 _I read 'Her penpal' as 'Her senpai' and got really confused for a second. Awesome chapter._

Now that is funny! I couldn't get the image of Blossom calling Brick her senpai out of my head.

And thanks!

* * *

To **Kaobara** ,

 _Oh no Jojo's back at the worst possible timing..._

 _... Is Miss Keane still tied up in the lodge? Now all I can wonder as to what is happening to Miss Keane, like did she hear the ppg outside when the rrb escorted Jojo? Did she hear the two groups fight? Was she able to get herself out of the binds or did she just fall asleep while being tied up? No matter, since she has a lot of explaining to do (if the ppg and rrb somehow gets away from whatever Jojo is plotting which I am hoping is not something terrible and may actually just be him sending the girls to the professor and bringing the boys into the lodge or to photo them while they're sleeping to blackmail them or smething)_

Well, it could have been the worst possible timing. Thankfully, Mojo did a little thinking and realized the consequences of his action. Then it turned to the best possible timing, since if Mojo was not there, who would get the boys and girls, and who would untie Ms Keane?

Mojo did the right thing.

Yup, Ms Keane was tied up all night, fell asleep as she was tied up, and nobody heard her or saw her as they were in the middle of nowhere. She heard something, but assumed that there were villains who attacked.

And she did a brilliant explanation in this chapter to the girls!

* * *

To **arviller** ,

 _Love the fanfic, hope they never end! Finally made an acc. Chapter is amazingly done. And the cleverness of taking out buttercup, didn't see that coming._

 _Hope Ms Keane wasn't still tied up for all these hours. Sounds achingly uncomfortable. o_o_

Thank you. That was certainly clever of Brick, taking out Buttercup.

And yeah, she was tied up all those hours!

* * *

To **YxYYLover** ,

 _OH MY GOSH! Brick was caught! Maybe things went too well for him up until that point, he should have thought of a back up plan. He certainly won't make this mistake again. As for what has just happened, Blossoms suspicions have been confirmed! I wonder if Brick will reveal that he has been her pen pal this whole time just to spite her? Until I read the next chapter, this one has been another immaculate chapter! Good work!_

Yep! Brick is no infallible! He can make mistakes! He did not think that Blossom would do anything after that "apology" after their arrest. And the funny thing was, Blossom's suspicions were confirmed, but it was Ms Keane who actually made it possible, by reaching out to Mojo. Before that, there was no conspiracy at all!

Well, it was revealed, but not by choice, by our very own Boomer! That dream in chapter 2 about Big Bad Wolf certainly is giving him trouble!

Thank you very much!

* * *

To **ninjarider1** ,

 _I'm stop reading some fight scenes. I'm tired. Give me a rest please.._

Well, this is the last major fight scene of this story. And this fight is extremely necessary for things to go forward, since it involves a lot of letting off steam of the kids.

* * *

To **Skater1ooo** ,

 _WOOOOOOOOOO! Finally got through that painful confrontation. Looks like some seeds of doubt have been planted somewhere in the back the Brick, and Boomer's minds. Looks like hatred is out the window(at least for the reds and blues; greens still need to be brought up to speed), and thus friendship has peeked over the horizon._

 _Really loved this chapter, it's the one I have been waiting for. Looking forward to more. Like I said though, I really hope they actually do see the error of their ways, rather than half-assed pretending to see it._

Yup! It was necessary that they go through that painful confrontation. And yeah, there were doubts, but not on being evil! Only on the fact that they cannot live in hostility to the Powerpuff Girls, and they needed some sort of agreement/ explanation. They cannot just let things lie. As for the greens, right now, their opinions were opposite and certainly hostile, but it's the reds who call the shots.

As for friendship, it would come! I promise you that, at least for the blues and the reds, but as for the greens, it would take time!

As for seeing the error of their ways, that is the hope of Ms Keane. The boys certainly apologized in this chapter, but the sincerity is, for lack of a better term, quite lacking.

* * *

To **Groudon202** ,

 _Alright, where to begin with this review..._

 _Many a long time ago, I had read your Allies & Rivals trilogy, as well as most of the spin-off stories set in that same universe. And what was clear from that was that you actually got the characters and the tone of the show, by and large, and were doing a decent-faith attempt to preserve that while also taking it in your own direction. As many a good fanfiction should do._

 _But, there was one thing that basically killed that universe of stories for me. And that was the writing style. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. In fact, that was the problem - it tried way too hard. Description and such was fine, if generally a bit overdone (I'll get to that shortly). It was the dialogue. Too, too formal. Sometimes, it was excusable due to exposition we the readers needed to know, or to clarify what certain characters did and didn't know (for in your stories such info is vitally important). But otherwise... I'm sorry. Never once did I believe that the characters were age 6 in the A &R-verse. There were plenty of other things too - an unnecessarily realistic tone even though you otherwise got the show, boring OCs that were occasionally focused on more then we would have liked, making the girls and co. too meta-aware of the weird aspects of their universe - but they were all things I could bear with. But the writing style, just killed it._

 _The reason I'm bringing all this up is because this story is, for all intent and purposes, a remake of that old universe of yours, even if the storyline specifics overlap not at all. A story focusing on the Rowdyruff Boys becoming acceptable superheroes rather then superpowered punks. Like A &R, this is set in the show-verse, makes an effort to incorporate the elements of the girls' universe where they fit rather then ignoring the ones the author doesn't personally love (as nearly all fanfiction with the Rowdyruff Boys does), and, most of all, feels as one with the characters and world we know, feeling actually light and jolly and fun even though it technically is more serious._

 _An Education For Power is an unquestionable improvement over the A &R-verse in just about every way imaginable. Which is great, because the A&R-verse came so close to being a real crackerjack of a read for me. As you may have guessed, the major improvement is the writing style. It's hard to pinpoint down what has changed (and it hasn't changed much, all things considered), but it just breathes so much more now, rather then being so fussy and stuffy and intent of being overly formal. And the dialogue! There's none of the repeated stilted statements of A&R ("You're an ugly girl" / "I'm an not ugly, Brick Edwards! I am very beautiful!"), the peripheral characters (meaning other then the girls and boys), something of a weakness in A&R._

 _Of course, the improvements hardly stop there. Using a fair share of secondary characters and one-offs helps over the OCs from before, as it's much easier to get the intended tone with characters we know rather then new ones. A lot less meta-awareness and genre-savvy on the main characters' part helps too - we the viewers can do all that, no need for the characters to as well._

Thank you. An _Education for Power_ is, as you correctly observed, an update of Allies and Rivals. For as you can see, I wrote _Allies and Rivals_ in 2003, before the episode _The Boys are Back in Town_ and the subsequent episodes aired. Thus, all I had were the Rowdyruff Boys single episode.

I wanted to continue the series, but decided to make a new one instead, since I cannot just ignore the events of the new Rowdyruff episodes, and readers might wonder why my characterization was different from that established. So I decided to make another tale of the Rowdyruffs with the new episodes in mind.

Another thing that I changed was that I decided to avoid my own characters. Although I'm quite proud of my character Dr Edwards, I realized that I cannot use it on new stories, as it would probably confuse newer readers who was not familiar with the base stories. I wanted to make my stories capable of being independently read of the base story, so I decided to use villains, secondary characters and one-off characters, which, as you put it, helped immensely in characterization.

So I used Ms Keane and Mojo Jojo as the new parents, with Ms Keane as a surrogate parent, and Mojo Jojo acting as their actual parent. As for HIM, I will deal with it in another story.

And it was 13 years from when I wrote Allies and Rivals to when I wrote Education of Power. Needless to say, I learned a lot about writing tales, which helped me.

Of course, another difference was that in Allies and Rivals, I fully intended the boys to be good, as well as think themselves as good. In here, I decided to keep them evil, or at least thinking they were evil, without being inferior to the Powerpuff Girls. But how to reconcile being evil with being at peace with the Powerpuff Girls with all that power? That is the second theme of this tale after all. No matter how they act, they would consider themselves "evil"!

 _Story-wise, you have succeeded in your intention with Brick. It is always odd that just about all fanfiction has portrayed Brick as being as intelligent as Blossom - I can only assume it's a side result of writers desperately wanting to pair the two together. And that was a little something that bugged me about your previous fics too - that all the Powerpuffs and Rowdyruffs were the best kids academically pretty much automatically. While it is clear that you want Brick to reach that point, the fact of showing the journey taken from the dumb resurrected Rowdyruff Boys of the post-Craig seasons just makes it that much less irritating, and believable. On that note, you've made it clear that, as smart as Blossom is, she's not an academic genius, and that Brick still isn't at her level yet, despite the progress he's made. And you've also made it clear that the academic level of Bubbles, Buttercup, Boomer and Butch aren't all high automatically - they're all in their own place. As they should be._

Brick in the actual series was certainly stupid. That was the greatest disconnect between my Allies and Rivals series and the show. But I wanted Brick to be as smart as Blossom, so how to get there… This was the process how. It was not easy, and it was not smooth, and I invented a reason why they were much less smarter than the girls in a way that allowed them to catch up with their counterparts with studying.

So I made their brain into blank slates. It has nothing at the start, but it could easily be filled up by a little study and application.

And it made the tale way longer than I thought first. I did not want them to go to school, since why would they want to? So make Ms Keane a private tutor! But why would Ms Keane do so? Because of the diamonds, her financial situation, pride, and of course, her belief that she could change them for the good. But why go to Ms Keane? How would he know her? Well, because he saw the teacher teach the Powerpuff Girls in school. But why would he bother to go school? Etc… All stemming from a single incident where he wanted to annoy Blossom by stealing whatever it was she was carrying, and beating her up, but what she was carrying was a book, and that led to the library, the realization that he was stupid, the ghosts, etc.

Academically, Brick was still a bit behind Blossom, but that would change, especially as he was studying all throughout summer with Ms Keane and Mojo Jojo while the girls were in vacation. Tactically and strategically though, he beat Blossom by a mile because Blossom was under the delusion that Brick remained the same boy who they could easily outsmart, and thus, did not make plans accordingly, while Brick was all too aware of his deficiencies.

As for Boomer and Butch, I would make them at par with Bubbles and Buttercup. Since Bubbles and Buttercup, though not as smart as Blossom, were pretty smart too, Boomer and Butch would be getting way smarter than what was shown in the actual show. Though way below Blossom and Brick, of course.

 _Now I come to perhaps the hardest part of this review... the things that could still be improved._

 _I'm going to be blunt. This story is indecently long. Not the fact of having less chapters and longer ones, just the fact of the story's length. There are a lot of small things that could be done to quicken it - plot points could still do with being trimmed of some fat, for instance - but by and large it boils down to every scene being longer then it needs to. For instance, as your write it, a character recollects on something, and end up recollecting the same thing a few too many different ways (a few different ones is good for getting into a character's head, but this is ridiculous). More pressing is the same thing happening in dialogue between two characters. Lastly, the fight scenes, as brilliantly done as they are, by and large, all have this itch to be grand and epic, and thus you break down every single little step (take the fight between the boys and the girls after the boys were pardoned, where you showed the full entirety of each girls against each boy, rather then cutting between the, to concentrate on the important parts). This was all present as a flaw in Allies & Rivals, but with the other main flaw from that gone here, it leaves the indecent length that much more obvious_

 _This is a weird complaint to make - too much of a good thing is better then too little - but I guess I just prefer stories that invite rereading, which a behemoth like this, for all its improvements, cannot, on account of the need to be bloated. It varies - for the most part, the less of the main six kids are in any given scene, the better it fares, with the Mojo scenes being basically not dragged out at all. But nearly every scene could do with being 20% shorter at least, often more. It hurts to cut and shorten material. But doing so helps to strengthen what is left, no?_

I admit that this tale is long, and sometimes, I am like Mojo in that I repeat some things, although I usually do this for emphasis, though looking back a bit, I could trim a lot. When I proofread a chapter after I completed it, I cut a lot! A lot, since I usually type what I think is in their head, and people actually repeat things over and over in their minds, especially those that are important. Though of course, sometimes, what I cut sometimes was not enough, as you observed. Though these days, I cut a lot more in the final editing, but sometimes, I am a poor judge of what is enough or if more emphasis is needed to drive home a point.

As for fight scenes, I take pride in that. I am a fan of Dragon Ball Z, and I also watch boxing. And I read a lot of fiction set in the military or where there are fights. I also play a lot of fighting games. One of the reasons I am drawn to PPG is because of the violence inherent in the show, and the fight scenes too, although it is one-sided in favor of the girls. That is why one of my favorite episodes is _The Rowdyruff Boys._ That fight scene is awesome, awesome, awesome! And it wasn't one-sided at all! That is one of the reasons I love writing with the RRB, it gives me the opportunity to write fight scenes were the combatants were equal in power.

And personally, I do not like reading fights that were mere general descriptions. I prefer to read every detail of every punch, kick, laser, as it gives me a picture of what is happening in my head, and how much damage each would receive, and who is winning, etc.

For me, the amount of detail a fight deserves is proportional to the importance of the fight in the overall scheme of things.

If the fight is the culmination of the plot, if everything in the story lead up to the fight, I have an obligation to make the fight an epic one, as otherwise, it might look anti-climatic. The fight in chapter 11 is the culmination of everything Brick was planning from the time he realized he was dumb. He wanted to prove that he can beat the girls fairly, and outsmart the girls, both tactically, and strategically, and at the same time, make it look like it was the girls who was at fault, the aggressors, so he could justify himself to Ms Keane! It was his proof to himself and his brothers that the boys had gotten smart enough to beat the girls with their brains as well as brawn in a fair fight.

And it was also their introduction to the city as "heroes" and not just villains. To him, it was sweet that their introduction as "good" would at the same time blacken the name and ruin the reputation the Powerpuff Girls.

To me, that demanded a fight that was grand, and epic, as it was the coming-out party of the boys to the town as well as the Powerpuff Girls. That fight was the turning point in the story.

Chapter 16 of course is another grand fight, and it was extremely important in the grand scheme of things.

Contrast that to the fight scene in Chapter 9, when the boys beat up the girls in the aftermath of the bug monster fight. It was very short and to the point, since it was not important in itself but only as a way to make the girls attack the boys after telling them they were pardoned. Or in chapter 1, where beating up Blossom at the beginning was extremely short, and the fight were the Girls beat up the boys later in that chapter after Brick was weak because he did not sleep well. That was also short and to the point. And all the monster fights were short too, reflective their unimportance and the power disparity.

 _There are lots of other little things I could do without, even though most of them fall under personal preferences. I would kind of prefer if your stories were not so overly reliant on misunderstandings caused by a lack on knowledge. It's a common notion and I expect it to pop up in most stories, but it seems to underpin everything here. One last small thing, is for some of the peripheral characters, you reuse key quirky moments of theirs from the show with no variation to reintroduce them. I love me some Mojo, but getting the exact same dialogue from classic episodes of his? Much better then him being out-of-character, but spicing up such moments with some of your own flair would help._

Well, an important point in the entire story is about a giant misunderstanding—Blossom thinking that Brick was the same boy that cannot spell dumb, and that Brick and Kenneth Charles were different people, and that the Boys are still evil and conspiring with evil villains. Remove that, and things would be very different. Although the last point was certainly not a misunderstanding. It was at first, but it became true due to Mojo becoming a part of the story.

As for Mojo, well, he was making an introduction, I felt that his exact same speech would be the best. And knowing Mojo Jojo, I actually could picture him saying the exact same thing. And as you see, I try every time to Mojo's dialogue repetitive.

 _To reiterate, this is still a marked improvement on A &R, and I eagerly await every forthcoming chapter. At this point, the only major thing I would worry about is making future chapters shorter, but keeping the same amount of incident. Get to the point of scenes and sequences quicker, but keep enough meat to develop character. You clearly get characters, so I know you know how much is necessary to get the point across for any given scene._

 _I never thought I would find another non-romance Rowdyruff Boys fic worth reading, for the list is a painfully short (with the romance list being even shorter). So I am really glad this exists. Keep at it - you're approaching greatness, and know how to write a gripping story. The content of what's happening in the story works - and I do love that Mojo is in the story now, and clearly an integral part, rather then just for a few chapters - so keep at it._

Thank you for this review! It's an honor and an eye-opener. I'm glad that you think that I succeeded plot-wise, and character wise, and that only thing I needed to do is to shorten it. There are lots of things that I wanted to improve in Allies and Rivals, and I'm glad that I apparently succeeded.

And yes, Mojo Jojo would be a permanent presence as their father. A lot of stories in this section has Mojo as their father, with Jojo as their surname, and I adopted that too. And he would have an extremely important role to play in the future.

Once again, thank you for your critique and review!

* * *

To **Alhaji Sulimani,**

This is definitely one of your greatest chapters commentary between brick and blossom was amazing!Looking forward to chapter 17.

Thank you. This was a long time in the making.

To Akum,

Chapter 15

 _how will turn out to have a villain as father, they are in that age... impressionable children._

Mojo Jojo would be pardoned and cease to be a villain, and like the boys, would pretend to be good, with Ms Keane hoping that he would be come really good. But it would make Ms Keane's plans harder, making the boys really good.

Chapter 16

 _Shocking! This was amazing, they did fight with such emotions. Ah three days! what's his plan!. Thank you and cu soon_

Yup. Everything is revealed, and everything is emotional! What is Brick's plan? He doesn't one at the end of the last chapter. It was Ms Keane who actually supplied that plan.

* * *

To **Ash141** ,

 _I absolutely LOVED this chapter! The Girls finally found out who the Boys really were, Blossom acknowledged Brick's intellect, he was sooo happy & it was sooo adorable, & you gave us a small amount of Blossick, as well putting them in a truce! Overall an amazing chapter but I expected nothing less from you! Question: Is Brick's special power going to be the controlling of fire or hypnosis or both (seeing as Bubbles has two special powers)? Anyway, I very much enjoyed this chapter & can't wait for the next one! Until next time._

Thank you. Lots of things happened in this chapter, lots of necessary things, as things come to a head. And the truce is temporary pending the making of a more permanent one, which is more difficult than first imagined, as this chapter shows. And yeah, I do plan on Blossick, but it would be when they are much older, though there are hints.

As for the special power, I do plan on giving him the fire breathe, but not now. When it is needed, probably some time in the future. As for hypnosis, is not actually literal, and it's not a superpower. He simply is a charismatic boy whose unusual eyes amazes other people. He is a Kennedy, a Reagan, a Churchill, or even a Napoleon in charisma, he can sway people by his oratory and voice. In short, he would make an excellent lawyer or politician. And Blossom would share this characteristic with Brick.

Right now, Brick's special power, if it could be called that, was making coal into diamonds, which is very important at this stage of his life.

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _Oh my God! So many things happening! At the same time!_

 _Awesome fight! So full of emotion! Thanks to Boomer, the girls finally realize who the students of Ms Keane really are! And then we finally, finally, get an admission from Blossom of her error regarding the boys' intellect! Then there is the truce!_

 _Truly this is the culmination of everything that had been happening since chapter 1!_

 _But what! Will Mojo Jojo ruin everything? I hope not!_

 _Looking forward to more!_

Yep. Boomer dropped the ball there. But at least it brought everything out in the open. Everything is in the clear, and they can proceed knowing each other's cards.

Luckily, Mojo's common sense prevailed.

* * *

To **John,**

 _Great, awesome fight!_

Thank you very much.


	18. IV-Peace?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education For Power**

The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 18. Brick and Blossom continue to negotiate about a potential agreement between the kids using letters. Bubbles volunteers to be the deliverer of the letters. What mischief would the blue puff be involved in while visiting the Rowdyruff Home?

 **Book IV**

 **Agreement**

* * *

 **Chapter XVIII**

 **Peace?**

* * *

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **174\. The Demands**_

Boomer looked again looked at the letter his brother gave him. He still could not believe the cheek of the girls!

* * *

…

 _To Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, etc…_

 _I wrote this before the actual apology, as you could have easily guessed. I'm well aware that you are desperate for peace, that you needed to plot the conquest of the world without harassment from the Powerpuff Girls. It's a thing most difficult to do for superheroes like us. It's our job to stop evil, and what could be more evil than trying to conquer the world? That is the goal of your father and the most persistent of villains, Mojo Jojo. He himself would tell you that he is evil._

 _You have some nerve asking that of us! _

_However, for the sake of Ms Sandy Keane, whom we love, and for the sake of peace, I am willing to let you plot._ _Provided_ _you agree to the following._

 _One, you will promise to uphold the law, and to obey all the laws of the land._

 _Two, you will go and enroll in school, preferably Pokey Oakes Elementary, for second grade, and promise that you will always be our classmates if that is possible._

 _Three, you and your brothers will seek guidance, and allow yourself to be guided, on how to act like superheroes, by the Powerpuff Girls._

 _Sincerely_

 _Blossom Catherine Lynn Utonium, Leader of the Powerpuff Girls, etc…_

* * *

…

The gall! Follow the law he could understand, but going to school? He hated the school! That's the reason for being tutored in the first place, and he was sure his brothers felt the same.

"She can't ask us that!" the blue ruff shouted as he returned the letter.

"And I thought it's settled," said Brick, "with that apology."

"What? What's that about?" Butch asked.

"The sissies want us to go to school," Boomer answered.

His jaw dropped. "You're joking! Stop kidding!" Butch said, a big grin on his face, then it turned into a frown when he realized his brothers were serious. "That does it! I'm gonna attack them, and beat them up, and I'm gonna make them sorry—"

"Calm down, Baron, or I'm going to sock you," Brick snapped. "We're not going to beat them up, or even fight them. We've done that and we've won. Pinky wants something else. Why else would she demand the impossible?"

"Maybe she doesn't know we hate it?" Boomer suggested.

"Nah. My letters told her we hate it," the leader said as they flew home. "And she knows we'd never go for guiding us. So she wants something else."

"But what?" asked Butch, still fuming.

"Who knows?" Brick said, shrugging, before carefully folding the letter and putting it back on the envelop. Boomer knew his brother would put it with all the other letters. His big brother really liked writing the Big Bad Wolf.

* * *

…

"So what else did you put on the letter? Did you tell him you love him?" Bubbles giggled as they flew home. "Did you ask him to marry you?"

"Bubbles, stop it!" Blossom said.

"Aw, but you kept writing love letters to each other!" Bubbles teased some more as they approached their home.

"Yeah, Red. What are you two lovebirds talking about?" Buttercup joined.

"Blossom and Brick, sitting on a tree—" Bubbles began to sing.

"Oh shut up, you two!" Blossom said. "Nothing of the sort. It's just demands. Three actually."

"Like that he's gonna marry you, get a big house, and start a family," Bubbles teased. "That's three. Two, actually, since he already got the big house, and—"

"Cut it out!" the leader said, irritated. "I told them that if the boys want us to let them plot evil, then they must do something for us. One, they must follow the law. Two, they must go to school with us. And three, they must accept guidance from us on how to be a proper hero. Reasonable enough, don't you think?"

"Aw, Blossom! You want to guide Brick?" Bubbles cooed. "That's adorable!"

"Wait, what? You want those three hooligans to go to school with us?" asked Buttercup. " _Are you crazy_?"

They stopped in the air, inside a thick cloud. The leader looked at Buttercup.

The truth was simple. She wanted to know how smart Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo really was. She knew from the exams of Ms Keane that he was really really smart, way smarter than Bubbles and Buttercup. But was he really smarter than Blossom?

And he would give her something no one else could give—competition, and a motivation to study. She vowed that she would beat him at his own game, and show to him that she was smarter than even the leader of the Rowdyruffs, even after all the months of being tutored. And also end the tutoring with Ms Keane. That was bound go give him an unfair advantage over her.

No more being the sole kid in class to recite. It would be sweet to lord it over him, to show him her higher marks, and to see his face get angry at the fact that he got A- to her A+.

But she would not say it in front of her sisters.

"Well, I have my reasons. The point is that we need to watch them, to make sure they don't do evil, and we can watch them better if they go to school with us," Blossom explained. "Let them plot to conquer the world. But we'll watch them, and they won't try anything."

"Wow! We're gonna see them five time a week!" Bubbles exclaimed happily, clapping her hands and jumping in the air.

"You just want to see Boomer!" Buttercup accused.

"So what? He's cute! And I love his little drawings! And he can act!" she defended, sticking out her tongue to her middle sister.

"You two are impossible!" Buttercup ranted. "Bubbles, I can understand, but you too, Blossom? They're evil! And they're not a bit sorry for being evil!""

"I'm being realistic," Blossom asserted smugly.

"And they would become good!" Bubbles answered. "Ms Keane said they'd be good by pretending. So if you trust Ms Keane, you'd know than when they're big, they're gonna be good for real."

Buttercup did not answer that, since how can she argue with Ms Keane, their beloved teacher? "Very well. But they better not do anything evil!"

"They won't. They want peace too. Otherwise, why bother with all this charade?" Blossom argued back.

* * *

…

 _The next day, July 28, 2005, Thursday…_

"Well?" Brick asked as his teacher read the letter. "Is she actually serious?"

"About school?" Ms Keane asked.

"Yeah, and about the guidance thing," Brick said. They were in the basement, during a break in the tutoring session.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Blossom's not serious. She knows we cannot accept that. So she wants something else in exchange," Brick replied.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Ms Keane replied. "Ask her."

"Teacher, I know you probably got too tired delivering letters," he commiserated . The day before, between the two of them, Blossom and Brick kept Ms Keane driving between their homes, delivering letters and waiting for the other to write replies. She really wished there was some other way they could deliver letters without her going back and forth. She wanted to suggest they create email accounts, but she desisted. She really adored the leaders' letter writing.

* * *

…

Brick quickly took a piece of paper and began writing fast, hoping to finish before the end of the break.

…

* * *

 _July 28, 2005_

 _To Blossom C.L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _As for your demands, let's negotiate…_

 _I REJECT IT._

 _I hate school. My brothers hate school. We would never go to school. And you know it from my letters when you still know me as Kenneth Charles only._

 _And we don't need guidance on being a superhero. We could get that from Ms Keane._

 _However, I am willing to grant you some other demand in exchange. Just be reasonable._

 _I was surprised by Bubbles' performance yesterday. Did you plan it? Boomer's not too happy that he was upstaged, though he claimed he wasn't. But his actions and eyes tell otherwise. Personally, she was great, and made the day much more fun._

 _And I'm gonna hold you to that promise on the crown!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, etc…_

* * *

 _ **175\. Bubbles' Little Adventure**_

After Brick put the letter on the envelop, he was about to ask Ms Keane to deliver it to Blossom, but then stopped when he remembered how exhausted and how fed up she looked when she played postwoman the other day. Since there was no school, it would be inconvenient. Of course, he could deliver the letter himself, but then, it would make letter writing pointless if he could talk to Blossom herself. He saw his brothers.

Boomer, or Butch? Butch would probably get himself into a fight, and with his luck, with all three girls at once, so it would have to be Boomer.

"Boom, give this to Pinky," Brick ordered.

"Me?" asked the astonished blond.

"Yes, you. We wouldn't want to make Teacher do our work, would we?"

"Oh okay."

"And be quick. Break time is nearly over!"

…

* * *

 _Later…_

Boomer knocked on the door, and waited.

Professor Utonium opened the door, and with a smile, greeted him. "Oh hello Boomer!"

"Boomer?" he heard Bubbles say, and with a flash, she appeared before him.

"Hello Boomie," she greeted. "Did you come here to play?"

"Play? Um, no, I have a class," he said, as the Professor left the two kids alone.

"Class? But it's summer!" Bubbles argued, frowning.

"Well Princess, we have tutoring class in Ms Keane's basement," he said. "Um, I have a message for the Big Bad Wolf."

"Blossom?"

"Yeah, her. From Brick," the blond ruff said, handing Bubbles his leader's letter. "Give it to her, and tell her to write back. Well, I gotta go!"

Boomer flew away, blushing.

* * *

…

Bubbles had a big smile on her face. Her Boomie visited her! Well, not because of her, but a girl can imagine! And he still calls her Princess! Too bad that the daughter of Mr Morbucks was actually named Princess! Well, time to give his letter to the Big Bad… er, Blossom.

"Blossom! Blossom!" she shouted at the top of her voice in a sing-song tone.

The leader of the Powerpuff Girls flew to the living room, with Buttercup trailing.

"Yes? Is there an emergency?" the leader asked.

"Boomer came."

"You called us for that?" Buttercup replied.

"Well, I only called Big Bad, I mean, Blossom," Bubbles said. "He said he brought a letter from Brick."

"A letter? Give it to me!" she snapped, and Bubbles gave her the envelop.

* * *

…

She flew to her room, and opened it. She frowned at the answer. Well, if Brick was going to be stubborn, then so would she. She would take the bluff as far as she could.

…

* * *

 _July 28, 2005_

 _To Brick K. C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

 _There is nothing to negotiate._

 _I INSIST ON YOU ATTENDING SCHOOL. THAT IS NOT NEGOTIABLE._

 _I don't care if you or your brothers hate it. You will attend it, or there would be no deal. And don't worry. It won't be as bad! I promise you it will be better than expected._

 _And you need guidance. We have been at it far longer than you have been, and you, to be blunt, are greenhorns at this stuff. We made lots of mistakes when we were rookies, and we would not want you to learn the lessons_ _the hard way_ _like we did. Ms Keane is excellent, but she does not have the experience that we have._

 _Again, this is NOT NEGOTIABLE._

 _I did not plan Bubbles' performance. That was all on her. When she saw Boomer, she decided that if Boomer was going to act all silly, so would she. But she and Boomer were so good that it didn't look silly. Did you tell Boomer to do all that? I know we agreed to do the apology in a formal way, but his theatrics, though fun, was pushing it._

 _And tell Boomer to stop calling me Big Bad Wolf. Bubbles nearly called me that this day. No doubt after hearing her "Boomie" call me that nickname. Seriously, why does he call me the Big Bad Wolf, Buttercup as Ogre, but Bubbles is Princess? And not the Morbucks girl variety._

 _Please tell him to stop calling us those silly names._

 _As for the crown, I give you my word._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom C. L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

* * *

…

She put the letter on the envelop, then remembered that Ms Keane was not waiting downstairs, unlike the other day. So she began to think of ways to deliver it that does not involve her going to Brick. After all, what use were letters if they could just talk to each other? And since she really really enjoyed writing letters to her penpal, she preferred it. After all, they can easily talk about things in letters that they would have difficulty talking about verbally.

She turned, and she was surprised to see Bubbles just behind her with a big smile on her face.

"Bubbles!" she shrieked. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The youngest puff giggled, before saying, "That's a letter for Brick, right? Let me deliver it! Please! Please! Please!"

Blossom was not too surprised at Bubbles' eagerness. And it did solve her dilemma. "Okay," she said, giving her letter.

"Thank you. I'll give it now! Bebacksoon!" she said rapidly, and before Blossom could say anything else, Bubbles was gone.

* * *

…

Bubbles was so happy because it gave her an excuse to visit the boys. She was in a good mood ever since the last fight, when she learned why Boomer called her Princess. She read _Puss in Boots_ after she recovered, and laughed at the implications! Buttercup the rich ogre! Brick as Puss the talking cat. Boomer as the fake Marquis de Carabas! And she was the daughter of the king, the Princess!

The Princess who married the Marquis de Carabas at the end! It was enough to make her giggle and nearly swoon! That was what Boomer dreamed of?

And best of all, in addition to Boomer being actually David who she admired as an artist, the boys were not enemies anymore! They were still evil, or they claimed they were evil, _but that does not matter._ After all, Ms Keane's explanation that she was encouraging them to pretend to be good so they actually become good, made the boys, in her eyes, good guys! And thus, there was no impediment to friendship.

And she was vindicated!

She landed in front of Ms Keane's house, and knocked.

The door opened, and there was the smiling face of their beloved teacher. "Hello Ms Keane!" the blonde greeted.

"Bubbles! How can I help you? I'm afraid I'm busy right now."

"Oh I'm here to deliver a letter to Brick. Could I do it myself? The boys are here, right?"

"Oh yes. We're having class. I'll call him."

"If you please, I want to see what's happening in class."

"Sure. Just follow me."

Ms Keane led the blue puff downstairs, and her blue eyes widened at the sight. It was so pretty and awesome! A little classroom, and three little students, and Mojo Jojo?

"Mojo!" she shrieked, and was about to attack.

"Hey, keep your hands off Pops!" Brick shouted, going between the Puff and the Chimpanzee.

"Calm down, Bubbles. Mojo is here as a teacher," said Ms Keane.

"But he's a villain!" Bubbles protested.

"Not for long," explained Ms Keane "He promised he would reform, and he would get a pardon from the Mayor."

Bubbles then looked at the chimp, smiled, and said, "I'm so glad you're becoming good." She then gave the chimp a tight hug.

The boys looked at her with eyes wide, stupefied at her actions.

She looked at them, got the letter from the pocket of her blue dress. "This is from Blossom."

"Thank you," the ruff leader said as he took the letter and placed it, unopened, on his table.

"Aren't you gonna read it?" she asked.

"Later. There's class. And it's rude to read while Teacher is teaching."

"But will you write a reply?"

"Yes. During the break."

"Then I'll wait for it."

"But we have class!" Boomer finally spoke, looking at Bubbles as if she had grown horns.

"Oh I'll sit over there," Bubbles said, on an empty chair and an empty table.

"You must ask permission from Ms Keane!" Brick asserted.

"Could I?"

"Yes, you could," the Teacher replied, smiling.

The class resumed.

Bubbles was fascinated. The tutorial was actually a lot like an ordinary class at Pokey Oakes, except that there were only three students. There was the blackboard, the table, the same discipline, the same methods. And the Rowdyruff Boys were behaving just like ordinary students. Brick was the smartest, and he would hog all the recitation, just like Blossom would. Boomer would, more often that not, say something wrong and provoke laughter among the others. Butch would just be silent, though when Ms Keane called him to recite, he would, more often than not, be right.

And they were better behaved than ordinary students. They didn't talk back. They were absolutely quiet. And they were listening. Or doing a good impression of listening. In short, they were model students.

So why were the boys afraid of school?

Things got better during Art Class. Ms Keane gave the boys white paper, pencils, and crayons. The theme was their favorite thing in the world.

Bubbles silently observed them draw. Brick drew a crown. But it was not the object which caught her attention, but the fact that the drawing was so poor. Brick even colored outside the lines, and his crown looked more like some yellow bushes on the side of the road. He would be lucky to get a D on that. She fought the urge to laugh at it.

Butch drew some boxing gloves, and his drawing was average, at best. Not terrible, yet not that good either.

Boomer drew their house in the woods. And it was perfect. She remembered other drawings of David Jojo, and they were the same style. It was realistic, and very pretty. And house itself was so perfect. Without using rulers or any other tools, he was able to draw straight lines and draw even spaces and perfect angles and circles.

"That is so nice, Boomie!" she couldn't help but coo.

"Go away! It's terrible!" he said, startled. He flipped his paper so that she could not see it. He was clearly embarrassed to show it to Bubbles.

"Now now, Boomer, don't say that. Your drawing's one of the best I've ever seen! As good as Bubbles' drawings, and she's one of the best," Ms Keane complimented as she looked at his drawing.

"You can draw too?" asked Boomer.

Bubbles nodded.

Thankfully, it was time for another subject, and so the topic was diverted.

…

* * *

 _ **176\. Fatherly Advice**_

 _July 28, 2005_

 _To Blossom C.L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _You can insist all you want, but the answer is still NO. And don't think I'm afraid to walk out on a deal. Now, be reasonable and tell me what you really want in exchange for dropping it._

 _And guidance? We welcome your advice, and I'm glad you want to help us. But we must decline._

 _I asked Boomer to speak and introduce us, but all the shenanigans were his alone! And were they funny! I haven't had as much fun since, well, ever! Never knew Boom Boom could be so good an actor! He made it look grand too! He and Bubbles certainly know how to make things fun!_

 _As for asking him that, I'll try, but let me warn you, I don't think I can prevent him from doing so. And it's funny! You're the Big Bad Wolf! You ought to be honored! I'd rather be the wolf than be the helpless pigs! Bubbles seems to like being called Princess!_

 _Yes, Boomer got it from the story Three Little Pigs. As for Princess and Ogre, I think it's from Puss in Boots. My little brother just LOVES fairy tales._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

* * *

The leader of the Rowdyruff Boys looked at the letter he wrote during the break. Satisfied, he put it in the envelop. At least there would be no worry about how to deliver it.

"Bubbles, give this to Pinky," Brick curtly ordered.

"I would, but only if you asked nicely," Bubbles began.

"What? You do as my brother tells you, Princess!" Boomer insisted.

"Bubbles, could you please, please, do me a favor and give this to your sister, Blossom?" Brick repeated, wanting to avoid a scene, in a nice tone.

"Oh I will," she said, smiling, getting the letter. "Well, I better be going. Bye Ms Keane. Bye Boomer, bye Butch, bye Brick, and bye Mojo Jojo!"

"Bye Bubbles," the boys said in unison as Ms Keane walked her out.

"Oh and this Tutorial is lovely! It's just like class in school! You're gonna love going to school if you love doing this!" Bubbles happily said as she went up the stairs.

* * *

…

 _Later…_

"The nerve of Pinky!" Brick ranted in their home. Mojo Jojo was with the boys, in the living room, as his three-month period had begun.

"What is it, son?" asked the chimp.

"She had the gall to demand that we go to school, and that we ask their guidance for being a superhero!" Brick ranted as he gave Mojo Blossom's demand letter.

The three brothers looked at their creator as he read it. Finally, removing his reading glasses, he said, " _You should go to school_."

All three boys were shocked.

"Oh don't give me those looks. Look, let me be frank with you, that is to say, I will be direct, and tell you the truth without frills. School is not as bad as you think it is. It is almost like being Tutored by Ms Keane. You may not know it, but she structured her tutoring classes like a classroom."

"But, but, we hate school!" Butch sputtered.

"Look, my children. My responsibility to you is not only to make sure you grow up into fine men of the world, but also to prepare you for your role as rulers of this world. If you want to be a great emperor, Brick, if you want to help and assist in conquering the world for your brother and running it for him, Butch, Boomer, it's best that you be educated."

"But Ms Keane is doing a fine job!" Brick argued.

"She is. But a school's sole function is not solely academic. It is also social. And by that, I mean, it would teach you how to interact with your peers, to know how they think, how they act, and accordingly, how to tailor your acts to theirs, and how to manipulate them and dictate their actions. But, but, more importantly, it would give you contacts. _Listen to me, my sons_. Your classmates will be your colleagues. They may be your generals. They may be your governors. They may be your scientists. To rule the world, you will need a party of followers. It's best to start early building up that party. The earlier you get them, the more loyal they would be. Who knows? When you step in the classroom, you might see your future treasurer, or your future ministers, or your future wives."

"Oh I see!" Brick said, finally getting it. "But I don't want to share Ms Keane with others!"

"You could still continue the tutorial after class. That way, you would have a permanent edge on your classmates."

"So I'll write to her that I'll accept?" Brick reluctantly asked, clearly getting the message, although Butch and Boomer were still confused.

"Not yet. You see, based on these letters, it tells me that Blossom is desperate to get you to school. Now, if you want to go to school, don't let her know. Make her give some other concession, some other favor, something which would be mighty useful."

The boys were now fully attuned to his plan.

"Let's look at the demands. Number one, obey the laws. Well, we'll have to drop it."

"But Ms Keane said we have to be law-abiding!" Brick protested.

" _And you will be but not all the time_! But we won't say it in the actual agreement. For you see, my sons, there are times when being law-abiding is inconvenient, not to say, downright useless, and breaking the law would be better. However, choose your moment to break the law. And always be sure that either you won't be found out, or if you're found out, the people would be behind you in breaking the law. Remember, be popular."

"That makes sense," Brick said, even as it flew over the heads of Butch and Boomer.

"Second, guidance. Accept it too. There's nothing wrong with it. As long as you make it clear that you're only accepting advice, and that you won't necessarily follow it. But trust me, on most matters, their advice is worth having. They know what they are doing and talking about with regards to being a superhero. So, just listen.

"Third, you should add a little demand on your own. That is, you should be allowed to retaliate in any way possible, including physically, if someone insulted you or your dignity. You are boys, and boys don't take kindly to being mocked or insulted."

"So if someone shouts rude things at us, we should be allowed to beat them up?" asked Brick.

"Yes. Strike fear, then build your popularity, and watch power flow to you!" Mojo Jojo said. "Make it clear that you won't be pushovers, and nobody would dare say a wrong word towards you without risking bodily harm."

"But would the Power sissies ever agree to that?" asked Boomer.

"Yeah. They'd be crazy to accept it!" Butch concurred.

"Yes, they would be crazy to accept it. But you have something they want. So they want you to go to school? Then they shall have it. But they will give you something far more valuable," he said. "If you want the girls to give you what I just proposed, here's what you should say the next time you write Blossom her letter."

* * *

…

 _July 28, 2005,_

 _To Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

 _I am not joking, and I repeat, it is not up for discussion. You must go to school, or there would be no deal. And we would be happy to give you guidance, and we would be even happier if you will follow our guidance!_

 _Yeah, they caught me off guard! When I agreed to a formal apology, I never thought Boomer and Bubbles would take it too far, so I had to play along with the silliness._

 _And are you crazy? How could me being the Big Bad Wolf (BBW) be an honor? The B.B.W. is evil! Are you calling me evil? I am not like Buttercup, who seemed to like and be proud of, being called an Ogre, since according to her, an Ogre is strong, likes to fight, and accepts no insults! She conveniently ignores the fact that they are thuggish, brutish, and ignorant! Ogres are not like Shrek, no matter how many times you watch that movie! And of course, Bubbles loves the Princess appellation given by Boomer, even if that gives her the same name as that Morebucks girl!_

 _You must tell your brother to stop calling me Big Bad Wolf!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom C. L. Utonium, Commander and the Leader, etc…_

…

* * *

Blossom smiled. Her bluff would work. Just a few more prods, and they would give-in. Just show them that she will be firm, and they will have to yield.

She put the letter on an envelop, and she turned around, and saw Bubbles behind her.

"Blossom, could I deliver that letter to Brick?" she asked innocently.

Blossom looked at the time. It was 9:15 p.m. Way past their bedtime. "Yes, tomorrow morning."

* * *

 _ **177\. Brotherly Fun**_

 _The next day, July 29, 2005, Friday…_

 _*DING DONG*_

Bubbles was excited. It was the first time she was at the Rowdyruff Home. Technically, she had been there before, but it didn't count since it involved spying and fighting. This was her first real visit.

Now that she was not trying to find out if the boys were plotting to take over the world, or trying to beat them up, she could appreciate the natural beauty of their home. It was in the middle of the woods, in a clearing. It was high summer, the trees were green, and the forest was full of wildlife. The boys literally lived among nature.

She really wanted to live there! Think of the fun the boys were having playing with all the cute squirrels and the adorable birds and the pretty flowers! While she had to settle for the boring suburbs.

And based on what she saw using her x-ray visions, the inside of the house was modern and up-to-date.

The door opened. It was Boomer. He was fully awake, his dark blue eyes looking into her sky-blue orbs.

"Hello, Boomie!" she greeted happily.

He was surprised. "Princess? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I've come to visit," she declared as she floated in. She looked at the place. "Wow! Your place was neat!"

Suddenly, there were a pair of mechanical hands that assaulted Bubbles. It happened so fast, that Bubbles was tied up and gagged before she knew what had happened.

"Don't destroy the ropes!" Boomer commanded as he put her in the couch, and after a bit of effort, managed to untie the puff. "Sorry about that. But at least you know how Ms Keane got tied up."

"Yes. We got a similar trap in our home. So you're gonna put me in the security thingie so it does not tie me up when I come here?" Bubbles asked.

"Oh I don't know," he said. "You could become too nosy."

"I am not too nosy!" Bubbles huffed a bit.

"I'll tell Brick," he said, laughing, his tone a bit cold. "So, why are you here?"

"I've come here to play!" she declared.

"What? Really?" he asked, totally shocked. "But we don't need playmates!"

"I'm just kidding! I'm delivering a letter from Blossom to Brick," Bubbles announced, getting the letter from her pocket.

"BRICK!" Boomer shouted, and a few minutes later, the eldest ruff came in through the front door. He was a bit dirty, and muddy.

"You finished the dishes?" Brick asked.

"Yes. Princess here came just as I finished," Boomer declared. "Where's Butch?"

"In the lake, having a swim." He then faced her. "Hello Bubbles."

"Hello Brick. I've got a letter from Blossom."

"Thanks," he said as he took it.

"Are you gonna write her back, like this day?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'll deliver it for you. I'll wait here."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay. Boomer, keep her out of trouble," Brick instructed.

"I'm no trouble!" Bubbles asserted.

"What? Why me?" asked Boomer.

"That's a direct order!" the leader asserted.

"Fine. I'll do it," Boomer said. "Wait here, Bubbles."

Brick went to his room, while Boomer to his. He came back later with a small bag. "C'mon Princess."

"Where are we going?" asked Bubbles, curious.

"To the lake," Boomer said, flying, with Bubbles following on that hot July morning.

…

* * *

"Hey Butch! Princess is here! She's the local postgirl, and she's waiting for Brick's letter, and dear Leader told me to keep her occupied," Boomer shouted, standing at the edge of the lake.

"What? You're kidding!" asked Butch as his head, and only his head, emerged from the dark lake. "You brought a girl here? I'm naked!"

"Yeah, I was gonna skinny dip too, but with Princess here, plans change. Here, I've brought some swim shorts."

"What, you swim without clothes?" asked Bubbles, a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah. We own the lake. And it's only three of us. Nobody ever goes here except us," Boomer explained. "Now close your eyes and don't open it until we say so, okay?"

Bubbles giggled as she closed her eyes and she remembered the time when she and her sisters rescued the Mayor and the Mayor was stripped of his clothes by Mojo Jojo.

"You can open your eyes now," Boomer said, and when she did, she saw Boomer wearing only his shorts, colored dark blue. Butch was already at the lake, his outfit, as expected, dark green. "Now just stand here and guard our clothes," Boomer instructed, pointing to a mass of green shirts and black pants at the edge.

With that, Boomer flew to the air, and dropped like a rock, landing in the lake and causing a huge splash.

Bubbles watched the boys have fun and began to be slightly miffed. How dare they leave her doing guard duty while they had fun? She badly wanted to join them! Although come to think of it, she didn't have any outfit that would be appropriate for the situation. She could go home and get it, but that would raise more questions from her sisters. And she couldn't borrow anything from the boys.

As she began to debate her options, she floated just above the lake, observing the boys having fun. They were excellent swimmers, although sometimes, they used their chemical x powers to assist in their fun.

She was still debating what to do when it was rendered moot by something appearing right under her, from the water. It grabbed her, then plunged into the deep, taking her with him. It was Boomer and she was shocked!

She was still wearing her immaculate and pretty blue dress, her white stockings, her mary jane shoes! And they were all wet! And Boomer, when he finally let go, was laughing!

 _Laughing_!

"Ha, ha! You look like a wet chicken!" Butch shouted, "Good one, Boom! Didn't know you had it in you!"

"Told you, I could!" he shouted back, laughing.

And she floated above the water, dazed, before she felt a force above her head push her down and she was, again, dunked into the lake.

It was Boomer again.

She wanted to get angry, mad, for ruining her appearance, her dress, but she could not.

For it was all so fun! The laughter of the brothers, even if directed at her, was infectious, and she smiled deep. And it did solve her problem.

She was already wet, so she might as well join the fun.

She then grabbed Boomer, and push him under the water, and it was fun watching him squirm for breath. Then she let go when he was nearly drowned, and his head popped out and breathed deeply.

He looked dangerously at Bubbles, then suddenly laughed, banging his hand on the surface, producing a splash that sent water to her face. She retaliated by splashing water at him, laughing too.

Boomer then grabbed her, flying high in the sky, and said, "don't use your powers!" then dropped her a thousand feet above the lake.

She yelled. She was enjoying this so much! She looked and saw Boomer, and Butch, also diving after her. She curled herself into a ball and splashed into the lake, followed by the two brothers.

For the next hour or so, they just swam around, having fun, with Bubbles looking weird for swimming fully clothed.

* * *

 _ **178\. Boomer's Room**_

 _One hour later…_

"Really Bubbles? Dressed like that?" Brick asked as he stood on the edge of the lake, letter in his hand.

"It's Boomer's fault!" Butch shouted, "he dunked her in the lake!"

"Well, it's fun! She was floating just above the water, in dry clothes, and I just couldn't resist!" Boomer happily said as they went to the shore.

Brick himself was only wearing red swimming shorts, before laughing. "Oh Bubbles! You look ridiculous!"

Bubbles laughed too as she looked at herself. "Swimming fully dressed is the next big thing! Next time, I'm going with a ball gown to the fishes!"

"I'm gonna hold you to that!" Boomer laughed.

Bubbles just stuck out her tongue at her counterpart.

"You need to deliver a letter to your leader. Boomer, since you're responsible for this, dry her up."

Boomer nodded, and his eyes glowed, and Bubbles began to be anxious.

"Don't worry, we do this all the time," Brick said, "It won't hurt at all,"

It didn't. Boomer shot Bubbles with a very mild laser. It was warm, and it was oddly comforting. She could literally feel all the water in her skin, hair and in her clothes and even underwear evaporate, until a minute after, she was totally dry.

But all was not well for Bubbles, for her hair was a mess of tangled knots and it was standing every which way. She needed to comb and fix it, or she would be the laughingstock of her sisters. She was thankful that the boys knew nothing about how a girls' hair should look like, so they didn't even notice it. And her dress! It was dry, but was dirty, filled with dried lake dirt, fallen leaves, etc.

"Um, could I fix myself before going home?" she asked.

Brick eyed her appearance, and smirked. "Sure, you could use Boom's room."

"Why my room?" protested the blond ruff.

"You got her wet."

He nodded without protest, and said to her, "Follow me, Princess," then wordlessly flew home, with the happy Bubbles following him.

"That was so fun!" she said in a merry tone. "I love diving that high!"

"You didn't mind swimming fully clothed?" asked Boomer.

"Of course I did! If the other girls find out, they'll laugh at me! But since you got me wet, I might as well join in! And it was fun!" Bubbles smiled, flying so she was besides him.

Boomer then laughed, "I'm glad to hear it! Next time, I'll dunk you while you're wearing your pyjamas!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Bubbles pouted.

"I did dare you while you're in your pretty dress," he teased.

Bubbles laughed. "How would you like it if I dunked you with your clothes on?"

"That would be fun! Before we met Ms Keane, we swam fully clothed or wearing nothing at all. It was teacher who said that it would be even more fun if we used the proper outfits!" Boomer replied.

"Really? Ms Keane's wonderful!"

"Yes, she is," Boomer said.

"That was really fun!" Bubbles repeated. "Though it isn't nice to just pull me in!"

"I ain't nice! I'm evil, remember?"

Bubbles wanted to say that he'll become good, but refrained. After all, Ms Keane's plan to turn them good would be spoiled.

"How can you be evil? You're acting so nice, and you're not doing anything evil!"

"Well, I dunked you into the water. That's not nice!"

"It isn't. But it isn't evil. Try something else."

"Well, I could kidnap you, Bubbles, and hold you for ransom? I wonder, how much ransom you'll fetch? I bet you'll be worth twenty dollars, and a chest full of story books!"

"Hey, I'm not that cheap!" Bubbles said, faking indignation. "I'm worth a hundred dollars and a two chests of story books!"

"Then I might have to kidnap you to find out!" he said, smirking. "So just be careful, one day you might be snatched out of your cozy little home, put in a sack, and tied up all day!"

"Mojo Jojo and other villains did that all the time! And we always escape!" Bubbles declared.

"You wouldn't escape an entire day if I kidnap you!" Boomer retorted.

"Just try it!"

"I would, but then, the Professor and your sisters will get mad, and then we can forget about being superheroes and being pardoned! And we're gonna get scolded, and probably grounded."

"Well, in that case, if you do kidnap me, and I can't escape, I'll tell the Professor and the others were just playing," she said. Although she knew the entire thing was just talk, she wouldn't mind playing an entire day with Boomer.

"I'll hold you to that!" he laughed, before saying, "I'm not sure why, I don't like you, but Princess, sometimes, you could be so much fun!"

Bubbles was a bit hurt. "Don't you like me?"

"You're a Powerpuff Girl! You're good! I'm a Rowdyruff Boy! I'm evil! We're supposed not to like each other! We're supposed to hate each other! We're going to take over the world! You're gonna try to stop us! This truce does not change that!" he explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, as they entered the house. They went to the second floor. At the corridor, the first door was on the right, and it was painted blue, with a big bronze plate where the blue-ruff's name was engraved. "Here's my room. Don't make a mess. I'll be waiting downstairs."

Bubbles went inside, digesting what Boomer said. But she wasn't worried. The main cause of the dislike seemed to be that he thinks he was still evil! Well, he won't be evil much longer, if Ms Keane's plan had anything to say about it!

Boomer's room was a mess. Clothes strewn everywhere, dirty cups on tables, the bed was not made at all. She was born neat, and she was too well trained to tolerate messy rooms! But she needed to take care of herself first.

First, she got the comb on the table, and went to the mirror, and carefully fixed her hair. Then she removed her clothes, and carefully removed all the dirt from the lake, although it was still messy. She sure could use a washing machine right about now. After she wore her clothes again, she decided to fix Boomer's room.

It took her less than a minute using her powers, and all the dirty clothes were in the hamper, the bed was made, the floor was swept, everything was in place, and all the clutter was gone. (1)

Now that it was taken care of, she could appreciate her counterpart's room. His room was big! Bigger than their room at the Professor's house. There were big, sliding windows with venetian blinds that gave a pretty view of the forest. The walls were all painted blue. There was a big teddy bear on the bed which she just wanted to cuddle. The bed itself was covered with a blue blanket, and with blue sheets and two blue pillows.

She examined his toys. His favorite, it seemed, were legos. There were dozens of houses made of the plastic brick toys, all beautiful, all impressive. On the walls were dozens of pictures of impressive castles and buildings, and when she examined it closely, the lego buildings were actually based on the structures on the pictures! There was a picture of the three brothers with Ms Keane, as well as a solo picture of him in a blue suit and tie! He looked so handsome!

There were toy drums and a xylophone, and a music sheet, although examining it, the sheets were actually written by the Rowdyruff.

Then there were his books. There were the standard textbooks, but most were story books, dominated by the _Grimm Fairy Tales_. She guessed that this was where Boomer read the _Three Little Pigs_ and _Puss in Boots_ tales, where he got his nicknames for them. There were other kid friendly tales, like Disney stories and more.

She was really impressed! He actually had more story books than she! The Professor won't buy her that much. Looking at some titles, she really had an urge to open it and read it. Next time, she would borrow some that she hasn't read yet—it would be a good excuse to visit!

* * *

 _ **179\. Blossom's Reply**_

Bubbles looked at herself. Her clothes were still dirty, but if she didn't say anything, her sisters would just assume that she had done some Powerpuff heroics that morning. And her hair was at least presentable.

She opened the door and left the room, and saw Boomer watching some cartoons downstairs in the living room. He immediately switched it off when he saw her. "Finally! I thought you be there forever!" he said, looking at her. "C'mon!"

"I wasn't there too long, was I?" she asked.

* * *

…

They flew by the lake, where Brick was swimming with Butch, and Boomer joined them, after saying the shortest good-bye to her.

Bubbles flew home, intensely happy.

She burst through the door of her home, found Blossom, and said in a rapid manner, "Hereistheletter! Areyougonnareplynow?"

"I think so," Blossom answered.

"ThenI'lldeliver!" she said in the same rapid fashion, flying to her room, then to the shower.

* * *

…

 _July 29, 2005_

 _To Blossom C. L. Utonium, the Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _I still do not like it. And I refuse to go to school._

 _Unless…_

 _You do something for us._

 _Instead of swearing to follow the law, I'll swear to keep the peace of the city and the country if it came to that._

 _And we'll accept your guidance. We will always listen to you if you want to give us advice. Even if that advice is not asked for. But whether or not we'll follow it is up to us. If we want to commit mistakes, then it's our decision, not yours._

 _Finally, we demand the right to fight back if anyone does anything insulting to us. That includes physical retaliation. We're evil villains. Someone might heckle us or call us names. If someone does that, we will fight back, and that person would suffer and be beaten up if that is what is needed._

 _Accept those two demands, and we will go to school with you at Pokey Oakes._

 _And finally, the keeping the peace and fighting back must be approved by the city council and the Mayor, otherwise, we might have trouble with the law. I leave it to you, Ms Utonium, on how to make the Mayor and the Council agree to it._

 _Then we must put the entire thing in paper, and sign it—all six of us. That way, there would be no doubt about what we agreed to._

 _It goes without saying that you won't do anything to stop us from plotting to take over the world, but you may try to stop us if we actually did try to do it, except if we do it using lawful means._

 _What? Buttercup likes being called the Ogre? Wait till Boom hears about this! Anyway, I'll try to ask him to lay off the nicknames, but I can't promise you miracles!_

 _See ya soon!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

* * *

…

Blossom was thinking. She finally got what she wanted! The Ruffs were coming to school at last! She was tempted to do a victory jump, but she refrained, as she was puzzled by his latest demands. _Keep the Peace? Physical Retaliation?_ What does this all mean? Physical retaliation she gets. They were, after all, boys, and boys, like the barbarians that they were, would prefer to answer insults with their fists, unlike girls, who were more refined and diplomatic and civilized.

But what was that about replacing "obeying all laws" with "keeping the peace"?

She turned around, and saw Bubbles.

"Bubbles!" she shrieked. She apparently had showered, and had finished changing. She again looked pretty and immaculate.

"Have you finished the reply?" the blonde eagerly asked.

"No," Blossom said, then folding the letter back so the last part about the Ogre wouldn't be seen. "What do you think?" She then shouted, "BUTTERCUP!"

The green puff appeared, "What, Red? I'm watching Wrestling!"

"You know that's fake!"

"Yes, and so?"

"Nevermind. Could you please read the letter? I want to know what you think," Blossom said.

Buttercup grabbed the letter just as Bubbles finished with it, the paper still folded. Fortunately, she didn't bother unfolding it.

"What does that ruff mean? Sounds like trouble," Buttercup said.

"What do you think about the retaliation thing?" asked Blossom.

"Reasonable. I expected less," she said. "I'd do the same."

"What? That's violence!" Blossom scolded.

"Then they better not insult me!" Buttercup stated. "Or I'm gonna grind them to the dust!"

"Nevermind. How about the keeping the peace part?" Blossom asked.

"I'm not sure. Isn't it the same as obeying the law? I mean you're basically upholding the law by keeping the peace, don't you think?" asked Buttercup.

"Yes. But I want them to follow all laws!" Blossom declared. "I'm already willing to allow them to plot, as in talk about being evil and ruling the world!"

"It doesn't matter," Bubbles cut in.

"What do you mean?" asked Blossom.

"They are pretending to be good, right? So they won't actually break the law. And they'll actually become good without realizing it!" she explained. "And I'm sure they won't try anything too bad, even if they were insulted. And if they were, I'm sure they'll know when enough is enough."

Blossom brightened up. "Of course! It doesn't matter! You're right!" she said, and got a piece of paper and began to write.

"I'm gonna go back and watch TV," Buttercup said, grumbling.

* * *

…

 _July 29, 2005,_

 _To Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

 _Thank you for going to school! We would have so much fun!_

 _As for your demands:_

 _AGREED_

 _I'm going to get the Mayor and the City Council to approve it, both the retaliation thing and the keep the peace. And I am pleased that you would listen to our advice._

 _I am so glad that we have come to an agreement. We've got to set a date and place where we're going to sign it._

 _And before anything else, what's up with Mojo? He is a villain, right? Did he get pardoned?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

…

* * *

She was happy! Brick broke and submitted, all in exchange for two measly demands that won't mean much! She won! She bluffed him into going to school! Score one for Blossom!

She sealed the envelop, and gave the letter to Bubbles.

"Thanks," the blonde puff said, before flying away, happy as a lark.

* * *

 _ **180\. Lunch**_

 _*DING DONG*_

Bubbles waited in anticipation as she pressed the doorbell to the Rowdyruff Home. The door opened, and to her delight, it was her counterpart.

"Princess?"

"Hello Boomie. Could I come in?"

"Sure. Brick put you in the security, so you won't get tied up by the trap," he said with a grin on his face.

He led her to the dining area, where the boys were eating lunch. There was bread and roasted pork and potatoes on the middle of the table, with the boys having a plate of food in front of them, and an empty glass each. There was a large pitcher of orange juice. The wooden table was a long rectangle, with eight seats, three at each side, and two at either end. It was covered with white cloth. Brick, as befitting his status, was at the head, Butch was at his left, and an empty chair, presumably for Boomer because of the plate with a slice of pork, was on his right.

"Hi Bubbles. Have a letter for me?" the leader asked upon seeing her.

Bubbles smiled. "Hello Brick. Yes, I have."

"Good news?"

"Well Brick—"

"Don't tell, don't tell! I want to be surprised!" he said in a good mood. "You'll wait for my letter?"

"If that is okay with you."

"Had lunch?"

"Not yet."

"Won't you join us?"

"I'd love to."

"Come on, take a seat!"

Bubbles took a seat next to Boomer, naturally. The chair, she observed, was wooden, was waxed, and had a cushion. Boomer put a white plastic placemat in front of her, then the white plate, then the knife, the fork, and a glass.

"Your home is really nice. I can't believe this was the same shack Fuzzy lived in!" she said, beaming as she gave the letter to Brick.

"It's the same, but bigger and with more conveniences. And thank you," Brick said, putting the letter besides plate, "but thank Ms Keane. If it wasn't for her, we still would've lived in that awful shack. She was the one who chose all our stuff. She really has good taste."

Bubbles agreed as she got some of the food. Pork and some potatoes. She took a bite. And it was very good.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed sincerely before she took another bite.

"Guess who made it?" Brick asked.

"You?"

"No. It's none other than the Baron of Berserk himself!" he said, and Butch looked really proud, although he was also deeply blushing.

"Yes, Butch here is a very good cook! He can cook anything, and can make even bird droppings edible and make it taste like chicken!" Boomer complimented.

Butch's face went into an even deeper shade of red and he began to sink in his chair.

"You're a very good chef!" Bubbles complimented, and he nearly pulled his head under the table.

And finally mouthed a very weak, almost inaudible, "Thank you."

So unlike the normal Butch.

* * *

 _Later…_

"Okay, it's time for the die!" Brick announced. "I'll roll first.

He got a single die from his pocket. He rolled a two.

"Damn!" Brick said, muttering.

Butch rolled.

He got a six. "Yahoo! I won't be doing the dishes!" he shouted.

Boomer rolled. He was confident. And he got a one.

"YEAH!" Brick shouted, punching the air. "I'll be doing the letter." He got his counterpart's letter, and disappeared.

"Aw, just great!" Boomer shouted, upset.

Butch began laughing. "Tough luck! Boom Boom got bad luck! The Duke got bad luck!" he began to chant. "Two in a row! Two in a row! You lost breakfast, and now lunch!"

"Shut up!" Boomer began.

"Tough Luck! Tough Luck! Tough Luck!" Butch chanted, mocking Boomer.

It ended with Boomer giving his middle brother a powerful punch in the jaw, which caused him to fall down on the floor. He clutched his mouth. His lower lip was bleeding.

He then laughed more. "You're getting better, Boom. I'm sorry, it's just so funny!" he said, standing up and slapping his baby brother in the back. "At least you ain't a sissy no more, oh Duke of Destruction! I'm proud of you!"

Boomer laughed too. "Yeah. I punched you hard in the face!" he said.

Butch laughed even harder as he hugged his little brother, apparently in a show of affection, then suddenly gave a hard punch on the youngest ruff's stomach that knocked the wind out of Boomer and caused him to clutch his stomach and fall to the floor, still laughing.

Butch laughed even harder as he staggered out of the dining room, one hand on his bleeding lip.

Bubbles helped Boomer to his feet, who despite the pain, was still laughing hard, and shook her head.

Boys! She would never understand them.

Boomer began to gather the plates, Bubbles watching. "Let me help you. You're not well, I mean, you got punched!"

"Oh that's nothing! Just horseplay!" he said, as he put the plates on the sink in the kitchen. "You should be here when we really fight for fun!"

"You beat each other for fun?" she asked, shocked.

"It's the best thing ever! I love bashing my brothers with my bat!" he boasted.

She began to understand why the girls had difficulty beating them in straight fight.

"What's with Butch and the blushing?" Bubbles whispered as they began.

"Oh Butch is a very very good cook. But he thinks cooking is unmanly, and is a girls' job, so he gets embarrassed if someone praised him for that! But he loves cooking, so he does it anyway," he said. "If we want to mess with him, just praise his cooking! You see he turned red as an apple!"

"That's silly! The Professor cooks, and no one thinks him girly!" Bubbles said.

"Try telling that to the Baron!" he said.

They didn't have a dishwasher, so Boomer used an old-fashioned sponge and dish detergent, with Bubbles helping by rinsing and drying, using her laser to assist in the latter. They then tidied up the kitchen.

"Thanks," he said. "Butch, Brick, I'm done!"

Butch was watching TV, but Brick was upstairs, who shouted, "you go on ahead without me. I'm not yet finished!"

"But we can't play hide and seek with just the two of us!" Butch shouted. "It's not as fun!"

"Ask the girl if she wants to join!" the redhead shouted back.

* * *

 _ **181\. Hide and Seek**_

"I want to join! I want to join! Please let me join!" Bubbles pleaded, jumping up and down.

"Okay, you can, but since you're new, you're gonna be it!" Butch said as the three kids left the house.

They went to the mighty oak, the same oak where the Rowdyruff Boys hid after the Powerpuff Girls knocked out Butch during that terrible last fight. "Okay, these is the home base," Butch instructed, "So Girl, you count to twenty. You have twenty minutes to find us. The last one you find would be the next it. If you don't find anyone, you'd still be it. You can use all your powers, even x-ray or superhearing. We could sneak in to the home base if you don't see us, and we would be free. We could only hide in the forest within the wall. You cannot hide in the house. Got it?"

"Got it!" she said, and she faced the tree, closed her eyes, and began counting.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty! _Ready or not, here I come_!" she yelled.

She floated above the trees to begin her search. Her heart sank. The forest was _big_. She floated higher, and she could see the outline of the wall, which presumably, was the limit of their property. It was huge, not including the big lake within the limits! How the boys could afford to buy the property she did not know. The house was in the middle, and there was a road connecting it to the highway.

She tried using her x ray from that height, but gave up, as they were too small at that distance. So she hovered just above the trees, and used her x-ray vision again. She also used her super hearing. Which was daunting because of the sheer amount of noise. There were lots of squirrels, animals running, leaves rustling in the air. She never thought a forest could be so noisy!

She hid herself in a tree near the base, hopefully, catching them as they ran to home base.

She heard some faint footsteps. It was Butch. He was sneaking towards the home base, going from one tree to the next, until he hid just above the tree Bubbles was resting.

She took her chance!

"Got you!" she said, slapping the top of his head!

"Aw, damn!" he cursed, and went to the home base, a sour expression on his face.

Now all she had to do was tag Boomer.

She hid in another tree near the might oak, waiting, waiting.

And there was Boomer! He was in the canopy of three, his big blue eyes looking every which way. He would then jump from branch to branch, hiding a few minutes, and peeling his eyes for her, then he would again jump to another tree, going closer and closer.

Then he jumped to her tree, and realized too late that he was jumping towards Bubbles, and he literally crashed on her.

"Tag!" she shouted. "Olly Olly Oxen Free!"

"Aw, I'm it, ain't I?"

She nodded, as they went back to the oak. Boomer began counting, and Bubbles and Butch went to their respective hiding places.

Unlike the boys, who probably knew the place like the back of their hands, Bubbles was not sure what the best hiding place was. She finally found a big enough tree with a big enough hollow for her to fit in.

She activated her superhearing.

"Nineteen, twenty. Ready or not, here I come!" she heard him shout.

She hid there for a couple of minutes, waiting to be found.

Then she got bored. She decided to get back to base.

She flew high up in the air, and trained her x-ray vision on the mighty oak.

And Butch was already there.

She frowned. She needed to get back to base or she would be it.

She went to the ground, and began to run as fast as possible, hoping that she won't get caught.

Her eyes brightened as the oak and Butch came to view, but as she was about to touch the tree, she was tackled from the side and they rolled on the ground.

"Tag! Olly Olly oxen Free!" Boomer shouted as Bubbles lay on the ground with Boomer's arms around her waist.

Then suddenly, his hands began to tickle her on the stomach.

She laughed, as she was a very ticklish girl. She laughed hard, as she could feel his hands on her neck, ribs, and collar bone, as if he knew instinctively where her most ticklish spots were.

She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, unable to break free of his evil hands!

"Ahem!"

They stopped, as Boomer stood up. "She's it!" he shouted at her mischievously.

"I'm afraid, no," Brick said, in front of them, with an envelop in his hand, but it was thicker than usual. "Bubbles, give this to your sister."

"Ask nicely!" she demanded as she stood up, recovering her breathe from the tickle torture.

"Well, your highness, Princess Bubbles, could you kindly please deliver this communication to your sister, the Leader of the Powerpuff Girls," Brick said, taking off his hat and bowing in an exaggerated manner.

Bubbles giggled. "Yes, Your Majesty, Emperor Brick, I will," she said, curtseying, before taking the letter, and once more, snatching a peck on Boomer's left cheek, before flying off.

It was probably one of the most fun day she had! She flew off, stopped, looked back, and Brick was counting! Oh she wanted to join them, but she knew that by the time Blossom's letter was ready for delivery, they would be taking their tutorials.

* * *

…

Boomer smiled as he hid on the top of a tree as he watched her disappear.

She was such a good sport! Less of a sissy than he had expected. Didn't cry when she got wet, for example. She even dared him to kidnap her!

If only she hadn't humiliated her for that light incident and stolen his clothes and pretended to be him. (2) And if only he wouldn't have to beat her up when they were grown up so they could take over the world!

Then they could probably be very good friends! It was such a waste!

"Tag!" Brick suddenly said, smacking him in the head from behind, catching him completely by surprise.

 _End of Chapter 18_

* * *

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

And one more chapter, and this story's done!

(1) See how the Powerpuff Girls cleaned the house in "Mommy Fearest" using their powers. It literally took seconds to make their home spic and span.

(2) The events of the episode "Bubble Boy".

* * *

And to all my faithful readers and readers, I'm gonna give the title to the last chapter, as well as some hints. As you may have noticed, I always change the summary of the story for each update. This is the summary for the next update.

Title – "Alls Well That Ends Well"

Summary – "STORY COMPLETE! The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 19. Brick and Blossom had given in to each other's demands. And is Bubbles "spying" on the RRB? What will Boomer do when Bubbles is caught? And what happens when everything is signed and agreed upon between the PPG and the RRB?"

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **The Insanity Box,**

 _I want to know what the ppg demanded so bad_

This chapter answers that question, and also what the reaction of the RRB to their demands was.

* * *

To **Groudon202** ,

 _I find I rarely have much to say from specific chapter to specific chapter - your writing style spells out everything for us, so I would only be repeating what happened in the chapter. There isn't even much point on commenting on what the boys read, because you obviously wanted it to be a big deal that we the readers don't know what it is, and which we obviously will next chapter. But yes, this chapter continued to be logical and follow the threads and all that. In fact, reading the author's note, I laughed, because you write them exactly like you write the story. It's just your natural writing style, fiction or not, and that's why I think it remains as compelling as it does despite being inflated and drawn out and feeling the need to spell everything out for us so we get everything._

I certainly do write in a certain style, don't I? Which not even long hiatuses could seem to change, even as I changed some ways on how I write. Sometimes, it's a curse to have the ability to speed type, as it would allow me to type as fast as my brain could think, and just edit later on. And yes, what the girls were demanding were a big deal, as this chapter would show, as it would change their lifestyle for the near future.

 _Some general points to make on the story as a whole that I missed last time:_

 _After you explained your thought process with the fight scenes from before, I'll admit, I was a bit too forward there. They are truly brilliant. And it was, and still is, clear, that your intention with them is to play out like an epic video game fight, kind of, where every move can be seen, we know how much health (not numerically, just in a loose sense) a character has at any given time, etc. And it's far preferable to the anti-logic fights we get in so many media, films, television and written fiction alike._

 _By no means was I saying for your fight to be a bit less descriptive, for the specific way you tell them works. It was just that both the length and the need to make every single point in a fight to be the biggest deal makes them tiring. It's basically the same problem I have with Peter Jackson's films of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and King Kong; every part of every fight scene is made out to be the biggest, most important part, and it gets really draining. For instance, I had read the first four chapters of this story in one sitting, I was that gripped. But when I got to chapter 11, I had to stop after it was done. A fight scene drains the audience/reader big time when every part of it is made out to be such a big mega-ultra-important deal. It is not as noticeable for those already reading the story who simply read a new chapter when it comes in, but for when people are binge-reading it like myself to catch up, or rereading large chunks, it's mentally exhausting. Just a bit._

True. But I only make very long fight scenes for those that are really important fights, and those two long fights were certainly important from a plot point of view. And it could be that I myself personally enjoy reading lengthy fight scenes, in both fanfiction and other types of fiction, and it is my belief, that if I don't enjoy what I write or read, how can I persuade my reader to enjoy it too? Though of course, that has the pitfall that not everyone enjoys what I enjoy. And there are things I enjoy to read that is not comfortable for me to write.

 _But I get the feeling that lengthy fight scenes won't be on the cards for a good long while now, given the story's new direction. So no need to worry about that, if I turn out to be correct._

Oh yes. If there are any fight scenes, it would be against outside villains, not against each other. And given the plot disparity, more likely, it would be one sided, especially if the boys and the girls fight together against an outside threat.

 _You mentioned The Rowdyruff Boys episode, and you are correct that is one of the best fight scenes in the entire series, second in my opinion only to the one the girls have with Mojo at the end of The Powerpuff Girls Movie. The key thing both of those fights do, apart form having an enemy of equal footing with the girls, is having a brilliant storyboarded structure where one side in a wallop of a visually creative hit/attack, then the other sides retaliates with one of their own. The Rowdyruffs fight has the girls tumble-kick followed by kicking the boys up and down and Bubbles leg-thrusting Boomer off of her, to name a few. Plus, it actually has the characters sometimes attack their non-counterparts, which we need more of._

 _But do remember, that fight doesn't end up being all that long. Six minutes at best, I'd wager. Which still makes it the longest fight in the series, unless we count both sides of the one in The Boys Are Back In Town that are split by Him's appearance as one. That's a drawn-out fight that isn't even all that intense due to the show being somewhat neutered. And the fight in The Rowdyruff Boys works so well because every action in it counts and is essential. It's clear you take great inspiration from it in the creativity and the equal-ness of both sides. Just a wee bit of compression would do too._

True, but remember, sometimes, what takes a few minutes in TV or on video would takes more pages to describe in text. They say a picture says a thousand words, so a fight scene would be worth tens of thousands, and trying to make the reader imagine what was happening could be daunting. Certainly, it is frustrating trying to figure out synonyms for punch, kick, laser, etc… that is often repetitive in text, but visually, it is very compelling. More so if there are three sets of fights, not only one.

And I also like the fact that they fought their non-counterparts. And in this fic, in the fight after the pardon, they deliberately fought against their non-counterparts to maximize their advantages—i.e. Bubbles is weak against Butch, Buttercup against Brick.

 _Though I would disagree with that being the only episode where the fights aren't one-sided in favour of the girls. The following episode, Uh Oh Dynamo, has the classic fish balloon monster that the girls need a giant mecha for (and on that, that fight is the series' third best, and suffers only from being a wee bit drawn out in comparison to the fight in The Rowdyruff Boys, as it takes up the whole second half, rather then just most of it). But otherwise, as even-matched opponents go, after the fish balloon monster, we have the monster in Three Girls and a Monster, Mo' Mojo from the movie, the Gangreen Gang in Power Lunch (where they has powers of their own. They shouldn't be winning, but they clearly were, before they lost their powers via an, "alternate exit", as it were) monstrous Dick Hardly in Knock It Off, others I might be forgetting, and many more that were unbeatable until the girls found their comical weakness (the crayon monsters in All Chalked Up, for instance). So the girls have had a fair share of even-sides, tough physical fights. The only thing unique about the Rowdyruff Boys, apart from their fight's epicness, was that they were actual recurring character that remained a large physical threat, as well as being the whole "evil clone/counterpart" this that fandom naturally latches onto._

Oh I know that, and I was just exaggerating for effect. Most of fights I remember were against Mojo Jojo and Him, and when it came to physical blows, the fights were less than equal. The villains needed something else to compensate to even hurt the girls, so HIM played his mind games, Mojo takes hostages and using technology, etc.

And the monsters, of course, were more than a match for the girls. And yeah, the monster who left upon Bubbles merely asking, and the one who was looking for the cat, etc…

The unique thing about the RRB is they are the only recurring villains who could beat up the girls in a fair and straight fight without any sort of tricks or mind games or technology, and they did, more than once. Of course, the boys could be beaten by comical weaknesses, like being kissed!

 _One last thing about Mojo Jojo and his repetitive dialogue. The key I find that many people forget is that, in the actual show (discounting the post-Craig seasons, where it started to turn into a parody of itself), not every line is super-ultra-repetitive. Sure, they are the ones we remember most fondly, but not every line he says is like that. Given you brought up the episode The Rowdyruff Boys, I'll raise you, and bring up Los Dos Mojos, the episode that supplied us with some classic Mojo monologues, and a few from Bubbles too._

Ah, _Los Dos Mojos_. I'll add _Mo 'Linguish!_ I really adored Mojo's dialogues in those two episodes. And Bubbles thinking he was Mojo Jojo. "I am not Bubbles! Bubbles in not my name!" And yeah, not every line is super repetitive, and most are just ordinarily repetitive. And you have to admire how some sentences are made repetitive when you cannot think of how you can make those sentences even more repetitive than it already is, yet somehow, the writers of the show do.

 _Now, the three most classic Mojo lines from that episode are the "I do not talk like that! The way I communicate is much different! I do not reiterate, repeat, reinstate the same thing over and over again! I am clear, concise, to the point! I -" line, the one Mojo makes upon knocking Bubbles out at the start which makes her think she is Mojo, and finally the Monthy Python inspired classic bit at the end where he is on the dome and declares himself to be the only Mojo Jojo. You can tell the episode was the work of Chris Savino, the Powerpuff story artist most given to the love of puns, among other goofy humour._

 _Those paragraphs of his all follow the theme of having at least four sentences that have the same point. But, when nearly every single line is like that, as it is on the Mo'Linguish episode, it's too much, and loses its magical, hilarious allure. Only some Mojo sentences are like that. The rest are a combination of ordinary ones, and those that are somewhat longer then a normal human would say, but are still manageable._

 _Take this line from the Los Dos Mojos episode: "I can go no further! It is the end of the line!" An ordinary person would simple say "A dead end!" or something of that ilk. So Mojo's line is still recognisably his, and it has that slight sentence construction tic of his where it feels like literally-translated Japanese for old anime (Speed Racer being the influence for actual Mojo)._

 _To sum up, the key with Mojo's dialogue is an appropriate mix of signature drawn-out monologues, mostly-ordinary sentences, and marginally drawn-out sentences that still have his classic sentence construction._

 _Many authors don't even try with Mojo's dialogue proper, so I love that you have. If you can, it will help to just have an appropriate mix of the three types of Mojo sentences above, is all._

Yes, I agree with that, and I don't always make Mojo's lines repetitive. Even if I try sometimes, it's exhausting to come up with different ways to say every little thing all the time, and I usually limit his expositions to very important points. My actual dialogue of Mojo would all be long drawn out-monologues only on certain things. And sometimes, he could be direct, and to the point, like in chapter 17, said,

"Oh just apologize,"

when the boys were debating whether or not they should give in to Blossom's demand. It is when he has to explain something, or he has to proclaim something, or he is talking to himself, that he is most prone to do his classic repetitive dialogues.

 _That was fun! I really fell like I can have intellectual discussions about the episodes with you. Kind of like the letters Blossom and Brick sent to each other, actually, huh?_

 _Keep at it, my friend._

Yep. And letters also have a function of mentioning things that would, in any other situation, be awkward.

Thank you for your review!

* * *

To **DPSS** ,

 _Good, Mojo didn't screw pooch. I'm surprised he was genre savvy enough to recognise a bad trope to be honest._

 _So, not much else to say in this chapter. You're basically putting this arc to a close so to speak. The only thing I'm curious about is what the PPG's want from the RBB's. Will THEY be genre savvy enough to realise they don't have to take?_

Yes, thanks to Ms Keane, Mojo behaved. And yes, the story is going to a close.

Well, they're not that genre-savvy. Fortunately, Mojo Jojo realizes what's really at stake.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** ,

 _The suspense_

Oh yes. Hopefully, this chapter makes up for it!

* * *

To **Ash141** ,

 _This was a truly amazing chapter! I loved the introductions & how formal they were. I always love it when Brick & Blossom write letters to each other. I can see as they get older how they'll grow, but oh how awkward will they get around each other when they each learn about the opposite sex's bodies & how they work. Question: Will they always look as they are now (of course they'll get taller & fill out more), without fingers or toes & the other missing appendages, or will puberty allow them to form normal human features? _

Thank you. Yes, the fact that they do not trust each during this time would make their agreements highly formal.

Yes, that would be awkward. But the girls, of course, already have seen a naked male before (The Mayor in _The Bare Facts_ ). The boys, have not seen a naked female.

And of course, who would give "The Talk" to them? I'd imagine it would be Ms Keane to the girls, but for the boys? It can't be Mojo, since he doesn't know how a human anatomy functions!

Yes, they'll get fingers and noses the older they get.

 _I can imagine the Girls & Boys fighting a monster when they get older & it hits one of the Girls in the stomach & she goes down clutching it, the Boys would be confused as to how such a weak attack would hurt their counterpart, then they'd see blood coming from between her legs & they'd freak the flip out thinking she was dying or something. _

_Anyway, I can't wait for the next chapter! Until next time._

 _~Ash141_

Oh that would be super super awkward. I imagine the boys think that the monster would have some secret super powerful weapon, but nobody would explain to them what really happened! Especially as there would be no adults who would tell them what's really happening (I don't think Mojo could).

* * *

To **William F Somebody** ,

 _Wow! What a great chapter! Mojo Jojo deed the sensible thing, and what's more, he gave sensible advice, telling the boys to just apologize if it meant peace with the girls._

 _Speaking of Mojo Jojo, I agree with him that Ms Keane's plan is clever! So the girls know that this is a plan to actually make the boys good, and the boys think that they are fooling the girls into thinking that it is a plan to make them good!_

 _And that "apology" is hilarious! They certainly removed the sting and the seriously of it. Especially Boomer, doing all that exaggerrated acting._

 _Looking forward to the next chapter of this wonderful story!_

Thank you very much. Yes, Mojo Jojo actually was being helpful, although he was stacking the deck in favor of his sons, which is natural enough. And yes, Ms Keane's plan was very ingenious.

The "apology" was deliberately hilarious, as the boys can't stand making a serious apology, since in their minds, they do not have anything to apologize for at all. Luckily, the girls didn't mind.

* * *

To **John** ,

What a great and important chapter!

Yes, this chapter resolves almost all outstanding issues between the boys and the girls!


	19. IV-All's Well That Ends Well

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Powerpuff Girls. It is owned and created by Craig McCraken, and by Cartoon Network.

* * *

 **An Education For Power**

STORY COMPLETE! The RRB, thanks to Ms Keane, became smart, and had their revenge upon the PPG. Ms Keane decides that the boys needed a proper home. Chapter 19. Brick and Blossom had given in to each other's demands. And is Bubbles "spying" on the RRB? What will Boomer do when Bubbles is caught? And what happens when everything is signed and agreed upon between the PPG and the RRB?

 **Book IV**

 **Agreement**

* * *

 **Chapter XIX**

 **All's Well That Ends Well**

 _Please, please, leave a review. Thank you._

 _ **182\. Letters Between Leaders**_

 _July 29, 2005_

 _To Blossom C. L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _I am so glad! Thank you very much. Looking forward to school. Please tell me what to expect at school, who my classmates are going to be, and how am I to prepare for it._

 _With these letters are papers that we should sign that puts our agreement in a legal form. The first one, about keeping the peace and retaliation, please have the Mayor and the City Council pass it. The second one is our private agreement. Make sure no one else knows about it except the six of us, and the Professor and Ms Keane._

 _I making a great sacrifice in going to school, so I want the public agreement ratified, word per word, or no school. As for Mojo, he's going to seek pardon from the Mayor. Don't worry, I see no reason why he shouldn't get it._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K. C. Jojo, Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, etc…_

* * *

…

Blossom went over the documents that Brick included in the letter. The first one was the public document that the Rowdyruff Leader wanted the Mayor and the City Council to ratify. That should not be a problem. The Mayor would just do whatever they asked. Ms Bellum would be more of a problem, but she can work it out. As for the City Council, as long as the Mayor was for it, they would vote for it.

The second one was the private document. She read the terms, and saw no reason to deny it. It spelled out exactly the outcome of their negotiations.

Sweet!

Everything was going her way!

She got another paper and began to write.

* * *

…

 _July 29, 2005_

 _To Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

 _I am happy that we have come to an agreement. And yes, I will do my best to have it ratified by the city government._

 _What to expect at school?_

 _For the how and what, not much different from your tutorials, at least judging from what Bubbles told me. The teacher is Ms Keane. She teaches most subjects, though I heard that for the next term, science and math will be handled by someone else._

 _There would be the same set-up, style, and manner._

 _The difference is that there would be more students than you three. About twenty to thirty, I think._

 _Here are some students that you should know about._

 _Princess Morebucks – Not much to say. You know her back when she tried to be a Rowdyruff. She is spoiled, self-centered, and evil. She throws money to get what she wants and has no common sense. Once tried to buy the city, and even made crime legal. Avoid her. _

_Mitch Mitchelson – He is my friend, though sometimes, I cannot think why I remain his friend. He is a bully. He torments our classmates, especially Elmer Sglue, the pasteater (don't ask, please) and Mike Believe. He once tortured a hamster. But he's a scaredy-cat. He'll fold quickly if you show that you have something on your spine. And he could be very sweet when he's not trying to bully someone, and is a loyal friend to the end. Though lately, he's becoming unlikeable due to his boasting about being your friend. _

_Mike Believe – He is a boy who has a lot of imagination. And I mean that literally. He has imaginary friends, and those imaginary friends came to life one day, and it took us making our own imaginary friend to beat those imaginary friends when it turned out to be evil. But he is sweet and a very friendly boy. _

_Robyn Snyder – Our next door neighbor and best friend. Very sweet and friendly. You'll get along with her._

 _More on the others later._

 _I am so glad Mojo is going to be a good guy. I feel sorry for him, I really do. In fact, his very creation is directly connected to our creation. He was thrown out of Dad's lab because of our birth. Although there is no excuse for his evil, we cannot shut our hearts to him._

 _He once saved the world! Aliens had invaded the world, and it was he, not us, who actually defeated it! And he actually did conquer the world, and he did a swell job at it, but he lost his mind, sadly._

 _Looking forward to all of it._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom C.L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc..._

…

* * *

The leader looked at the time. It was about six in the evening. She decided not to send the letter. Knowing Bubbles, she would stay and wait, and since it was tutoring time, who knows when Brick would have time to read and reply? Would Bubbles have the sense to go home early?

She was not in a hurry, so she decided it's better to send her tomorrow.

"Bubbles!" Blossom called as soon as she sealed the letter.

Without a second wasted, the blonde Powerpuff arrived.

"Yes?" she said eagerly.

"Deliver this letter," Blossom began.

A very big grin formed on her face.

"Tomorrow. It's late and it's their tutoring time," she said.

And that grin fell off, and the excitement in her eyes died. "Oh. Okay. Tomorrow morning."

"After we eat breakfast!" the leader added, and the conspiratorial look on Bubbles' face vanished.

"Oh don't worry!" the blonde said. "I'll make sure Brick receives this as soon as possible!"

"I'm not worried about that. So how are the boys?" asked Blossom.

It was like a dam bursting. "Oh Blossom, I had so much fun!" the blonde began, and she began telling Blossom of her time with the boys, starting from the time she attended the tutoring class. Blossom was fascinated that the boys were apparently model students. After all, there were only three of them, so naturally, Ms Keane would have no difficulty detecting shenanigans, right? But with twenty-five students? Let's see how well behaved they would be.

And Brick was as smart as she thought he was!

"And you know that they drew their favorite things? Brick's a crown."

"A crown?" Blossom asked.

"Butch, boxing gloves, and Boomer, their house."

Then she began talking about playing.

"Really, Bubbles? You swam fully clothed?" asked Blossom.

"Oops! Shouldn't have said that," a sheepish Bubbles said. She then told her about lunch and the hide-and-seek game.

Blossom was amazed! The boys were just like ordinary boys, except with powers. Even their violence was not exceptional if one removes their powers.

"Oh Blossom! We must play with them! It's so much fun!" Bubbles invited.

"I'm busy!" the Powerpuff leader said. She doubted she could enjoy the "fun" that the boys engaged in. She was shocked that Bubbles could. But then again, Bubbles could have fun with anyone!

* * *

 _ **183\. The Spy**_

 _The next day, July 30, 2005, Saturday…_

Bubbles was happy as she flew to the boys' home. She wondered what they were doing. Not swimming, Boomer had assured her the day before. She hoped that Brick would spend a lot of time writing the reply, so she could have more time to play with her new friends.

 _Friends!_

No matter what the boys say, they were friends!

She spotted the house painted white, on a clearing, in the middle of the woods, and raced. She was so excited that she was caught by surprise when she was tackled from the sky.

It was Boomer.

"Boomerrrrrrrrrrr!" she yelled, shouting as they fell.

But when they were on the ground, he positioned himself so he was behind her, and he twisted her arm, and said, "Halt! You are a spy!"

"Spy?" asked Bubbles, puzzled, looking over her shoulder at her captor.

"Yes! You must come with us, and meet our leader!" Boomer said in high voice, never letting go, his grip tight.

She smiled, and said, "Oh no! I'm caught! Please have mercy!"

"No mercy for spies!" he said as they flew, him behind her, both arms behind her, his grip tight and unyielding. Not that she minded.

They landed outside the house, and he shouted, "Brick!"

The door opened, and the leader appeared.

"Your Majesty, I have caught a spy! What shall we do with her?" he said as he entered with his 'prisoner'.

Brick was dumbfounded, his face a blank, his eyes questioning, his mouth open, before he recovered and said, "A spy? From who? Girl, tell us your name!"

"I am Princess Bubbles. I serve," she began, mischief forming in her brain, and said, "the Big Bad Wolf! She sent me here not as a spy, but to give a message to the Emperor!"

She swore his face nearly twisted into a grimace, before he laughed a little.

"I am the Emperor! So where is the message?" he finally asked.

"Let me go, and I will give it to you!" she said with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Let her go!"

Boomer let go, and Bubbles produced the letter from her pocket. Brick got it and began reading.

"Well?" asked Bubbles, having the time of her life.

"Send her to the dungeon!" Brick bellowed, "until the ransom has arrived."

"Oh no! Not the dungeon!" she shrieked melodramatically. "Anywhere but the dungeon!"

"Come now, Princess!" Boomer said, twisting her arms behind her, and dragged her upstairs to the "dungeon", which was Boomer's room.

He pushed her inside, and asked her to sit on the chair.

Which she did while he stood on the door, looking at her, "standing guard."

"Um, could I see some of your story books?" she asked, breaking character.

"Sure. Want to read them?" asked Boomer, breaking character too.

"You should read it to me," she asked sweetly.

"What?"

"I'm a prisoner. I'm tied up," she said, "I can't move," even as she waved her hand for emphasis. "I cannot get the books."

Boomer nearly laughed, but went over and said, with an evil glint on his big blue eyes, "I ought you tie you up for real, and gag you too, but you'd easily break the ropes. So what, Princess, do you want to read?"

"You choose. After all, I'm your prisoner. And who is that bear? He's your prisoner too?" she said, pointing to the big stuffed animal on the bed.

"Um yeah," he said, "Mr Bear committed the crime of, well, that's a secret!"

She then went and hugged the stuffed animal. "Oh, let me hug you! Did His Grace treat you terribly? Oh yes he did! Look at you!"

"His Grace?" asked Boomer, puzzled.

"Yeah. You're a Duke, right?"

"Yeah. The Duke of Destruction!" he said with relish.

"Well, our Teacher said that a duke's called Your Grace, just like a king or emperor, Your Majesty. And you still have to read to me!"

Boomer gave a laugh before he selected a story from his shelf.

 _Dick Whittington and His Cat._

He went before her, gave a bow, and opened it. "A long time ago, there was once this poor boy…"

* * *

…

There was a knock.

Blossom wondered who could it be. She was expecting a reply, but Bubbles would have no need to knock.

She opened the door, and it was Butch. He had a serious look on his face, though his eyes were mischievous.

"For the Big Bad Wolf!" he said, and it was clear he was trying to contain his laughter. What was going on here?

She stared at him, then her eyes wandered around, looking for Bubbles. Finally, she spoke.

"Where is Bubbles?"

"The Princess is caught!" he said with a straight face. "Read the message of the Emperor!"

Blossom was thoroughly confused as she tore open the envelop.

* * *

 _July 30, 2005_

 _To Blossom C.L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _Very good then! We must set a date to sign our private agreement, which, you must understand, can only take effect when the public one's approved. I leave you to set the date, but it must be soon._

 _Yes, I know Mitch Mitchelson. He is my best friend. A word of warning. He is under my protection. Don't mess with him, or you mess with the Rowdyruff Boys!_

 _Thank you for the information about the other kids of note. Though it makes me want to give up on the entire thing when Princess Morebucks is going to be in the same room as me. Thinking she could be a Rowdyruff Boy! Ha! She's not even a boy!_

 _Speaking of Princess, Princess Bubbles was caught as a spy. She confessed to being under your service, Big Bad Wolf, so I threw her to our dungeon with Boomer as her guard._ _How dare you send this spy on us!_ _If you want her back, you must pay two dollars, a bag of candy, and a story book of Princess. You must_ _not_ _pick a sissy book._

 _Act quickly or she will be gone forever!_

 _Mojo is happy that things had settled down. He is proving to be a very good father, to the surprise of everyone! Who knew? His gives such good advice. I for one have completely misjudged him. But if you're wondering why we are together now, ask Ms Keane._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brick K. C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

…

* * *

She stared at the letter. It was the strangest letter she had received from Brick. What was he driving at?

Were they playing?

"What's going on?" she asked Butch.

"Just do as it says!" he said, before flying off.

She went to the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello?" Brick answered.

"Brick, what's going on?"

"Ah, Big Bad Wolf! Not expecting this call, but we have your spy!"

"I want to talk to Bubbles!"

"Wait!" he said, then she could hear him shout, "Boomer! Pinky wants to talk to her!"

A minute later, she heard Bubbles speak. "Oh my dear leader! Big Bad Wolf, they caught me, your spy!"

So they were playing! _I won't spoil their fun,_ Blossom thought.

"Don't worry! I'm gonna pay the ransom!"

"Thank you very much!" she said.

Then she heard Brick again. "One o'clock. Above the castle."

* * *

 _ **185\. Ransoming the Prisoner**_

It was no problem getting the 'ransom.' There was a bag of candy hidden in the cupboards. The Professor won't mind, but just in case, she asked, and he consented. She had two dollars, that she would get Bubbles to pay later, and she scanned Bubbles' story books. Now what to give? She selected _Old Sultan_ , a tale of an old dog and a wolf.

Then she wrote her letter.

* * *

 _July 30, 2005_

 _To Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the Rowdyruff Boys, etc…_

 _We could do the signing in your home, if you don't mind. That way, there's enough privacy. As for the date, I don't know. It could be tomorrow or it could be next year, as politics could sometimes be slow, especially as you are demanding it, not only from the Mayor, but from the city council too. But I'll do my best, and hopefully, we could have it before the start of the school year._

 _At least you already have a friend. And don't worry, we won't bother Mitch, but if he bullies his classmates, then that's another matter. If you are to be a hero, then you should not be a bully or help bullies._

 _I feel for you about Princess Morbucks! And she not only wants to be a Rowdyruff, but also be a Powerpuff! The nerve! But I must warn you, she's formidable, despite being a pampered baby. She's literally a villain. And she uses her father's money like a child plays with her dolls. She has a suit that gives her flight, and many other things too like rockets._

 _Speaking of Princesses, so you caught our spy!_

 _You FIEND! You only got lucky! Princess Bubbles have the most advanced stealth abilities that you could find! I will pay the ransom, for she is most valuable to me, the beautiful Big Bad Wolf, but don't harm a hair of her head!_

 _I'm happy for Mojo. And I know that Ms Keane has the primary role contributing to this happy event._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Blossom C. L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

…

* * *

She put the items on her little pink bag, and debated whether or not to bring Buttercup. Who will keep an eye on the hotline? Perhaps she should send Buttercup to deal with the situation, but decided not to. She wouldn't miss this for the world!

"Buttercup, I'm going somewhere! Watch the hotline!" Blossom shouted to Buttercup, who, as usual, was watching TV.

"Sure, Red!" came the loud answer.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"…And that's how Dick Whittington became Lord Mayor of London!" Boomer finished, then gave a bow.

Bubbles applauded even as she was pretending to be "tied-up". She really enjoyed being a "prisoner". Of course, the storytelling was interrupted by Blossom, er Big Bad Wolf's call, but that was a minor irritant.

Boomer knew how to tell a story, and how to make it very entertaining. He just didn't read, he sometimes waved his arms, jumped, growled, meowed, and did other things which made the story come alive. Of course, the blue ruff was just having fun, but it made it so much fun for Bubbles too!

Before he could say anything else, there was a sharp knock, followed by Butch bellowing, "LUNCH!"

She wondered whether she'll eat downstairs or here in the room. After all, she was a prisoner, and prisoners eat in their cell. But she was a Princess, and royal prisoners don't dine so shabbily.

Boomer opened the door, and held it, inviting her to come out. She'll dine downstairs with the leader.

She stood up with as much dignity as possible, and walked out. She was in front of Boomer as they went down the stairs. She looked at the front door. It's wide open. Why? A wicked thought came to her. Then she bolted as fast as she could. After all, she had an obligation to escape, right?

"Hey, wait! Boomer shouted from behind, chasing after her. But she had not counted on running into Brick coming home. She stopped in the air, choosing her options, but then she felt a hand grab the back of her dress, and another grabbed her right wrist and twisted her right hand behind her. She could easily struggle out of his grip, but that would tear her dress, and so she was caught.

"I give up!" she said, giggling.

Boomer said to Bubbles, "that will cost you!"

She was led back to the house, and put on a chair around the table. Boomer got a piece of rope and tied it round her waist and the back of the chair. That "kept" her from escaping.

Lunch was pleasant. They ate sandwiches and drank water. They broke character during the meal and mostly talked about other topics. Brick, Bubbles noted, was in a very good mood, which told her that all was well with the negotiations with Blossom. After all, he was playing with them! Butch was his hyperactive happy self, making unfunny jokes and boasting of how strong he was, and kept challenging his brothers to a serious fight.

After lunch, the die was rolled. Butch rolled the lowest, so he got the dishes.

* * *

…

It was one o'clock in the afternoon, and they were floating above the house. Bubbles, was, as usual, being held by Boomer, her right hand held behind her, and another hand holding the back of her dress, both tightly. Brick was beside them, deep in thought.

There she was! It was a tiny speck at first, then it became bigger, gaining a shape that revealed it was the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

"So, Big Bad Wolf, you've come!" Brick shouted.

"So I did! Is she okay?"

"I'm okay! Thank you, Blossom!" Bubbles shouted.

"She is. Did you bring it?" Brick answered.

"Yes!" And she tossed her bag to Brick. He caught it, opened it, and smiled. "Here is the money, then there is the bag of candy, and the book. And what's this? A letter?"

"A message," Blossom said. "Now give her back!"

Boomer let go of her, and Bubbles went to her sister, hugged her, and "cried."

"There, there, it's over now!"

And that was that.

There was a bit of laughing among all four kids, and some teasing. Brick said, pointing to his counterpart, "Butch said you thought we were serious, that we were really kidnapping Bubbles! I never knew you were so gullible!"

More laughter.

"Well, You can't blame me! You were villains!" Blossom said. "You still are! You are evil!"

"Ha, you admit you're the Big Bad Wolf!" Boomer shouted.

"No I do not! It's just a play!" she said defensively.

"And Boomer thought it all by himself!" Bubbles cooed.

"Yep I did! Brick thought too I was crazy!"

"No I did not!" said Brick, "I knew what you were up to all this time!"

* * *

 _ **186\. Council Meeting**_

 _July 30, 2005_

 _Dear Blossom C. L. Utonium, Leader of the PPG, etc…_

 _Yes, I guess my house would be perfect. Though I do wish that you already have a firm date for it._

 _I'll keep Mitch in line, though I don't think it would be needed. As for Princess Morbucks, if she tries anything, I'll smack her so hard she won't even remember what her name is. She thinks she's so rich!_ _Ha!_ _I will be richer than her! And she thinks she owns lots of money! She owns nothing, as everything is her father's! And I will own the city in the future. And the world! Nothing she can do will matter to me._

 _Now that that's over, let me tell you that that play was Boomer's idea. I didn't even know what he was up to until he came to me, holding your lil' sis, telling me that she's a spy. But that was_ _fun, fun, fun_ _! I wouldn't object if we played another game like that, and I'm sure, you'd find it fun too. Though Butch was grumbling, but what can you do? He got dishwashing duty. Though at least he got to play messenger, unlike Buttercup._

 _By the way, Boomer will return the money and the book of Bubbles in a few days._

 _See you on Monday!_

 _Sincerely_

 _Brick K.C. Jojo, Leader of the RRB, etc…_

* * *

…

The leader of the boys was pleased with his letter. He put it in the envelop, wrote 'To the Leader of the Powerpuff Girls,' on the back, and went downstairs.

And there they were. Butch, Boomer, and Bubbles, playing cards. Boomer was teaching Bubbles how to play, and Butch was looking bored. Based on the pot, the Baron of Berserk was handily winning. Bubbles, after being "rescued", elected to stay and wait until Brick finished writing his letter.

"Now, if you have an ace—" Boomer was teaching…

"Ahem!"

They all turned to the leader. Bubbles face fell.

"You're finished?" she asked disappointingly.

"Yep. Now, Bubbles, could you please give this to your sister, Pinky?" Brick asked politely.

"Oh I will. Bye Boomie, Butch, Brick!" she said, again stealing a peck on Boomer's cheek, and flying home.

…

* * *

 _The next Monday, August 1, 2005…_

Bubbles wanted to stifle a yawn. They were at the City Council of Townsville, and they were waiting for a… what was the word Blossom used? For when there's enough members to do something? _A quorum._ They were on the visitor's gallery.

"With the council being a puppet, it's no wonder nobody wanted to attend," Buttercup, besides her, whispered.

"A puppet? You mean like Puppet Pals on TV?" asked Bubbles.

"No. What I mean is that the council is a puppet of the Mayor. They do all that our dear Mayor tells them to do. How do you think things like selling the city to Princess Morebucks or making crime legal got passed? You'd think that our councilors would object, but nooooo! They passed all of it, on the Mayor's say so, even if that Mayor happened to be Princess Morbucks or Fuzzy Lumpkins!" Buttercup ranted.

"How many is needed?" asked Bubbles.

"There are twenty-four members, and a majority is needed, which in this case is thirteen," Blossom explained, clutching a roll of documents on her hand.

It was not their first legal business for the day. They first went to the Mayor's office very early in the morning. The Mayor had been easy to persuade, especially when they mentioned that it's for the Rowdyruff Boys. The Mayor really liked the Rowdyruff Boys. And according to him, the boys were giving him pickles, candies, visits his home and helps in the chores!

The boys really were nice to the mayor. And that was even before they were pardoned!

Ms Bellum was also no problem, as she was in favor of having the boys become good.

So here they were, waiting for the tardy councilors to show up. _I wonder if they would get the tardy slip from the Teacher_ , she absent-mindedly mused.

Ever since that fun game of _Spy_ , things had been a disappointment for Bubbles. Blossom had not yet finished writing her reply. Seriously, how long does it take to write a letter? So she didn't have an excuse to visit them. And she could not just visit because, according to Boomer, "they were not friends" and "they do not like each other" since "they were enemies" until the agreement.

She, of course, liked the boys, especially Boomer, her crush. And she liked him even more because of the times they played the past week. Seriously, the more she knew about him, the more she liked him. Except the violence part. She still could not wrap her head around the idea that the boys could beat each other up silly for fun.

What barbarians!

Or the fact that they hunted animals for food!

Seriously!

But she was willing to turn a blind eye for the sake of friendship.

And Boomer still kept denying that they were friends. Maybe in his words, they were not. But his actions tell her otherwise. And that's all that mattered to Bubbles!

At least they could be playmates!

"The meeting will come to order!" an important looking man, with gray hair and even grayer eyes, sitting in front of them with a hammer that he banged like a judge, announced.

"Mr Speaker," said another man, younger, with blonde hair and pale eyes. "We would like to call attention to the fact that Blossom Utonium, leader of our old set of heroes, the Powerpuff Girls, would like to speak."

The Speaker then replied, "Thank you Mr Williams. The City Council of Townsville would be honored to listen to its finest heroes! Any objection?"

There was none.

"All in favor, say aye!"

There was a thunderous "Aye!" from the councilors.

"Ms Utonium, the floor is yours."

And the councilors all stood up and clapped their hands as Blossom floated toward the podium.

"Mr Speaker, honored members of the City Council of Townsville, thank you for letting me speak.

"I'll be brief. The Rowdyruff Boys has turned a new leaf!"

There was a thunderous applause from the city council.

"They will be your new heroes! I know they were evil once, but they have repented. They now want to fight for truth and justice!"

All lies, of course, but only for the present. It will come true, soon enough, if Ms Keane's plans were an indication. But really, what can Blossom say? _She can't just tell them that they still believe themselves to be evil, can she?_ Bubbles thought.

"They only want an agreement to make it formal. To seal the deal. They will keep the peace, as any good citizen should. They only ask that they be allowed to retaliate if someone insults them. That's only just, I would say, since being former villains, many people would not accept that they turned good!"

There were murmurs from the audience, and some hints of disapproval.

"Does that say that they will swear to obey all laws?" asked one councilor.

"It's not needed, Mr Wilson," Blossom replied, "for the price of living in society is obeying the laws, right? There is no need to say it, for in turning good, they also agree to obey the law. Really, inserting that would only be superfluous. It would even be insulting if we would require it! Because that would say that _we don't trust them to obey the law without them saying so_. And the entire agreement was already approved by the Mayor. Here, look! It is signed and sealed by Jay Mayor himself just this morning!"

That ended all debate, as the councilors all stood up and applauded.

"That is why the City Council, an equal and independent branch of the City Government, must approve it. Here is the document! Read it and approve it!" Blossom said, giving the papers in her hand to the Speaker.

The Speaker read it, and after ten minutes, said, "Well, I'm not sure about all of it, but if our beloved Mayor say we should pass this, then we should! All in favor of ratifying the agreement, say aye!"

"Aye!" was thunderous response from the councilors and the audience.

There were lots of congratulations and shaking of hands.

"And to think, that tomorrow is two years to the day they first appeared. August 2, 2003, the Rowdyruff Boys appeared for the very first time, created by Mojo Jojo in jail!" said the Speaker as she shook Blossom's hand. "And now they're heroes!"

That got Bubbles' attention. So the next day was the second-year anniversary of their creation. What a coincidence. Wait a minute! _If tomorrow was the anniversary of their first appearance, then…_

* * *

 _ **187\. An Etiquette Class**_

 _The next day, August 2, 2005, Tuesday_

Boomer was bored. There were no regular classes. Instead, it was a day to teach etiquette, dress codes, and things that were needed for 'high society'. Ms Keane said that since they were to be public heroes, they would need to mingle with all kinds of people, and would be invited to all kinds of parties, so they needed to know how to act so as to not be seen as socially inept.

They were dressed formally for these kinds of lessons. All of them were wearing what Teacher called 'suits'. The Duke of Destruction was wearing dark blue. The leader a black suit. The Baron's was dark green. All wore white shirts, Boomer and Butch had matching ties, and Brick had a bright red tie. In addition, he also had a black hat, which the teacher called a fedora.

Even Ms Keane was wearing a white dress to the knees, with pears round her neck, and high heels.

This was not, of course, their first lesson in politeness. But it was the first such lesson where they had to 'dress up'. Not that he minded. But why all the fuss?

"Boomer!" Ms Keane called.

"Yes Ms Keane?"

"I've taught you this already, so you should easily answer this. In England, how do you address the different types of nobility?" asked the Teacher.

"Let's see. If you are a king, or an emperor, you're addressed as Your Majesty. A duke is called Your Grace," he began, remembering what Bubbles called him before. "An earl or any lower nobility, including Baron, is called Lord. Like Butch. If he was a Baron, we're gonna call him Lord Butch."

"Very good!" the teacher said. "How about a knight?"

"Sir?"

* * *

…

"It's early, but I think that we should leave the class," said Ms Keane.

"You're dismissing us early?"

"No, no. We're going to go to your home and I'm gonna give you some pointers about dancing," she said. "Your living room is much bigger than mine, and dancing needs a big floor space."

"So we're gonna fly you home?" asked Brick.

"Oh no. I'm gonna drive you home," she said. "I'm sure you can prepare dinner?"

"Well, we've got some stuff in the fridge, and Butch could whip something to eat," Brick answered.

…

* * *

They drove to the Rowdyruff Home in the middle of the woods at the very edge of Townsville City limits. It took nearly half an hour. When they arrived, they noticed that the lights were out.

"Is Pops home?" Boomer asked as they approached the house.

"Maybe he turned in early?" Butch suggested.

"Who knows? Maybe he decided to sleep in the volcano," Brick added.

Boomer was getting scared. The woods at night, without lights, was creepy! Especially with nothing else to occupy his mind, like a fight.

He began to shiver in fright.

"What are you scared of?" Butch asked.

"I'm scared of the dark. What if there's some monsters, or vampires, or the boogie-man?" he said.

"Those are just tales told to scare you, you sissy!" Brick laughed. "If there are such things, we could easily kick it's butt!"

…

* * *

Boomer huddled behind Ms Keane's skirts as Brick opened the door, and he and Butch, followed by Teacher, entered.

The first thing that Boomer's eldest brother did was to open the lights.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

There were a lot of people inside. There was Mojo Jojo, in his customary grey suit that he wore as a teacher. Professor Utonium was there too, in a black suit and a bowtie. And there was the Mayor and Ms Bellum. There was Mitch Mitchelson, also wearing a little brown suit but with shorts.

And there were the Powerpuff Girls, in poofy dresses with in their traditional colors. It had a little white fringe at the hem of their skirt of the dress and something white around their neck which Teacher Keane had once called a Peter Pan collar. The Big Bad Wolf, Blossom, of course, had her traditional big red bow. The Princess Bubbles, his playmate, but not his friend, had two ribbons on each of her pigtails. Even Buttercup the Ogre herself had a ribbon on her head. They were wearing their traditional white tights and black mary jane shoes. (1)

There was a giant streamer on the wall, which stated, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRICK, BOOMER, BUTCH!"

The couches were all placed against the wall, and there was a long table, covered with a white sheet, full of food. On a smaller table were things wrapped in colored paper and sometimes wrapped in ribbon too, and in another table was something covered in white cloth.

"Um, what's going on?" asked Butch, eyes wide, staring at the people as if they grew horns.

"What's a birthday? Is it a holiday?" Boomer asked. In his short life, he had never ever heard of such a holiday.

"Yeah. Ms Keane taught us all about the holidays, and she never told us about a birthday," said Brick, with a blank look on his face.

Ms Keane gave an apologetic laugh before saying, "I'm sorry, but I forgot! But people do celebrate their birthdays! It's not a holiday. The date depends on when you're born. It's actually the birth anniversary."

"We're here to celebrate the anniversary of your birth!" Blossom said. "Exactly two years ago, August 2, 2003— "

"I created you to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, and you were born!" Mojo Jojo finished. "And that is my proudest moment of my life!"

"And since you were born five," Buttercup finished, "you're now seven years old!"

"A birthday is one of the happiest days of your life! Every year, we celebrate it to celebrate your life!" Princess Bubbles explained. "You get a party, and invite your friends, and get lots of presents, and everybody tells you how they love you!"

"Happy Birthday, Boomer, Butch, and Brick!" Blossom finished.

"Happy Birthday, Boomer, Butch, and Brick!" Bubbles and Buttercup repeated in unison.

Bubbles then began to sing.

" _Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you!"_

Then Blossom and Buttercup joined in.

" _Happy Birthday Rowdyruff Boys!"_

Then all rest joined in.

" _Happy Birthday to you!"_

Boomer was deeply touched. They went to all the trouble to celebrate them—evil villains, who never repented and never embraced good! He looked at his brothers, and both were silent, shocked, staring at the entire thing.

The Powerpuff Girls actually did this for them! Their mortal enemies!

Then the Professor, who had briefly disappeared, reappeared pushing a trolley with a big cake, with seven lighted candles.

"Blow the candles, boys, but don't blow too hard. Remember your powers," the Professor said. "And make a wish. But don't say it out loud."

The three boys floated towards the cake, and blew. Boomer wished that Brick would rule the world, for real, and all the people would bow down to him and obey his every command. He guessed that both his brothers had similar wishes.

He then made a second wish.

He didn't know why, since he kept saying to himself that he didn't care for her, but he wished that Bubbles would not oppose them when they do conquer the world. _Please don't fight us when we grow up. And maybe it's too much to wish for, but maybe the girls might even help us?_ he thought.

…

* * *

 _ **188\. Private Agreement**_

Ms Keane directed them to slice the cake, which they did without too much trouble.

After that, there was the meal, where the hungry boys were ravenous. But they still ate with the manners taught to them by their Teacher.

Brick was happy. Never in a million years, even if he had known what a birthday was before, would he think that they would go through all the trouble for them. Especially the Powerpuff Girls. They were so kind! Why? Maybe they think that the boys would spare them when they grow up? Or maybe they were thinking that they wouldn't go through with it. But they were still evil villains who were just pretending to good, and the girls knew they were just pretending.

He was so overwhelmed by it all that he was barely able to speak. He did not find words to say anything, and he was profoundly glad that he did not have to say out loud his wish—to rule the world as its Emperor, and to make his brothers his right-hand men. And during the meal, he ate as much as possible to avoid talking or speaking, as it would be impolite to speak with his mouth full.

He simply did not know what to say. And by the looks of it, neither did his brothers.

And there was Pinky, with a plate of cake on her hand, coming over.

"Happy Birthday, Brick," she began.

"Thank you," he said, before shoving a forkful of cake on his mouth.

"Let's go somewhere private. All six of us," she said.

He raised his eyebrow at that. "Why?"

"Just do it!" she said briskly.

"I don't take orders from you."

"Please?" she said with a pleading look.

"The private agreement?" he asked.

There was a nod.

"We need a witness. How about Ms Keane?"

"She'll be fine," she replied.

He nodded, and went over to their Tutor, who was having a conversation with the Professor. He went besides her, walking, and gently tugged at the skirt of her dress.

"Yes Brick?" she said, all smiles.

"Could we talk to you, privately?" he asked.

"Excuse me, John," she said.

And followed the boy. The others, Brick hoped, were too busy eating or dancing that they won't notice.

He led them to the basement. It was newly created, like most of the house. Housing the heater and other machinery, it was warmer than the rest of the building. It was here that the washing machine was located. There was a big space near the stairs with a big table, and chairs all around. The boys sometimes spent time there, playing cards or doing laundry.

"We need you as a witness. Would you be willing, Ms Keane?" Brick asked, looking at the only adult in the room.

"I'd be honored," she said, just as the door opened, and five kids entered.

Blossom was clutching a sheaf of documents, and said, "This is the private agreement between the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys. It would govern the relations between the two sets of superheroes. We have two copies. Please read it."

Brick got the document, and read it. So far, so good. Everything, down to the last syllable and punctuation mark, was identical to the document he sent her. He didn't draft it, of course. He wasn't smart enough to do so yet. Rather, it was drafted by Mojo Jojo and by Mr Stanley Practice, the Chief Prosecutor, after all the terms had been agreed to by Blossom and Brick.

"Have you read it, Ms Keane?" asked Blossom.

"I have," she said, saying nothing, giving it back to the Powerpuff Leader.

"No objections?" Brick asked.

"None," said the Powerpuff Leader. "Have your brothers read all of it?"

"Yes. Your sisters?"

"They have."

"Then let's sign it."

Ms Keane was the first to sign, as a witness.

Boomer then signed both copies, then Bubbles. Butch, then Buttercup. Then Brick, and Blossom.

Just like that, it was done. The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys were officially in agreement. (2)

There was peace.

Ms Keane applauded, and there was much congratulations.

"How about the public agreement? Have the mayor and the council approved it?" he asked.

"You'll see. Let's go back to the party.

…

* * *

Brick could now rest content that the Girls won't bother him and disrupt their plans for global domination. Thus, he was in a good mood as he talked to Mitch Mitchelson.

"So how did you get the girls to be friendly?" the bully asked eagerly.

"Oh letters," Brick said.

"Letters?" Mitch asked.

"Yes," Pinky said, joining their conversation, "letters. We're penpals!"

Mitch's jaw dropped at that, and Brick had to stop himself from laughing. Mitch had more than proved his value, as his revenge could not have succeeded without the cooperation of the brown-haired boy. And he was a useful source of information, where he could check the information given by Blossom about school, and also use Pinky to check Mitch's information.

…

* * *

Then there were the party games. First of all, was pin the tail on the donkey. And Mitch got volunteered to do the honors as he was the only kid who did not have x-ray vision. He pinned the tail on the nose. Then there was the piñata. For the same reason, Mitch was the one who swung the bat. He was able to hit it, and the Rowdyruff Boys, having no idea of traditions, just watched the Powerpuff Girls fly in and grab every candy that fell on the floor. Then had to endure being teased for being "slowpokes".

The six played musical chairs. The boys had no idea how to play at first, but were enthusiastic after it was explained to them. With Mitch on the music player, they started. Butch, surprisingly, was the first to be eliminated, as he was carried away with dancing. Then Blossom. Then Bubbles. Then Brick. So it came to a contest between Boomer and Buttercup, which the Powerpuff won.

…

* * *

 _ **189\. The Presents**_

"Open the Presents!" Mitch Mitchelson shouted after the last of the games.

"Yes, it is time," said Mojo Jojo. "So who will go first?"

"Let me," said the Mayor. "Ms Bellum?"

"Yesterday, the Mayor and the City Council approved a law which officially makes you superheroes of Townsville, like the Powerpuff Girls, with the same rights and responsibilities. And that law has some exceptions for your case, like not being required to uphold all laws, instead, you only need to keep the peace. And also, that you would be allowed to retaliate in any way you wish, except killing, anyone who insulted you. Congratulations!" the Mayor's assistant announced.

She then gave a document to Brick, who read it, and confirmed that it was the same one drafted by Mojo Jojo and Mr Practice. He smiled. (2)

And the rest of the room applauded.

Brick was touched. And all for agreeing to go to school. He was glad that his father had known better and had given such excellent advice.

"Thank you," he said. "This means so much to us."

"And since you're officially superheroes," Ms Bellum said, "the city gives you this."

There was something in the table, a lump, covered in a white cloth. That white cloth was removed, and there was…

An old-fashioned white phone? They already had a telephone. Why?

"We already have a phone," Boomer said what Brick was thinking.

"This is the hotline. The Powerpuff Girls already have one of these," Ms Bellum explained.

"And when there is an emergency," Blossom explained, "the Mayor will call you. And there is also one set up in school, just in case."

"Now you're really superheroes!"

"Thank you. It's an honor," was the only thing Brick could say. He had not expected this. Imagine, someone who was openly evil, someone who swore to conquer the world, and did not turn good—had become a superhero and was trusted with a hotline! But it was not surprising, as the Rowdyruff Boys had been _acting_ like superheroes, 'pretending' to be good.

The girls were delivering on their part of the deal.

And only Ms Keane and Mojo Jojo knew his actual intentions.

The rest of the guests gave their gifts. They each got their gift from the table, and personally gave it to the boys, who opened it in front of the giver.

Mitch Mitchelson gave Boomer a spinning top. Butch a yoyo. And Brick a deck of cards. Ms Keane gave Boomer more story books. Butch, more comic books. And Brick, a World History book. The Professor gave them a Play Station 2, and a couple of game cartridges. Mojo Jojo gave them each a miniature remote-controlled robot.

Finally, it was the turn of the Powerpuff Girls.

Buttercup gave Butch a DVD copy of their fights against monster and villains. "Watch it, and you'll learn a lot!" she said. "We're tough and strong. Don't you forget it."

Butch just nodded.

Bubbles gave Boomer a DVD set of cartoons dramatizing the fairy tales he read about.

"Thanks, Princess," Boomer said.

"You're welcome," the blonde girl, before stealing a peck on his cheek, and giggling as she went back to the crowd.

And finally, it was Blossom's turn.

She handed Brick his gift in a brown box wrapped in a red wrapping paper with a red ribbon. The gift was a…

 _ **Crown.**_

A gold crown with gems, and lined with fur.

He looked at it, stunned. It was so awesome. It was a crown fit for the ruler of the world, for an emperor.

He could not believe it.

And it was Blossom who gave it.

And once more, he was speechless.

…

* * *

Blossom was proud of her gift. When Bubbles reminded them that it was the birthday of the Rowdyruff Boys, and that they should throw a party for them, they decided that each would give a present to her counterpart. And Blossom was determined to have the best present of all.

So what could please Brick more than anything else? What did her counterpart want more than anything else?

He wanted to be ruler of the World. An emperor.

Of course, Blossom knew she cannot actually make him emperor—she would not permit such a thing to happen!

But she could do the next best thing.

And she must give credit to Bubbles, who saw Brick draw a crown when they were told by Ms Keane to draw their favorite thing.

She got the gold by calling in favors—many pawnshops and museums had some extra gold and jewels and were willing to part with it upon Blossom's request. The gold and jewels were melted, forged and designed by the Professor the night before and all through the day.

The look upon his face and his blood red eyes made it all worth it.

There was a flash of inspiration upon her, and she suppressed the urge to giggle. She put her left hand upon his shoulder, and very gently, applied downward pressure.

And so stunned was he that he was soon kneeling on one knee.

…

* * *

Brick was so overwhelmed by the gift that he didn't even notice that he was genuflecting before Blossom. He felt his hat being removed from his head, and then looked up into the pink eyes of his smirking counterpart.

She took the crown from his hands, and put it above his head.

" _I crown thee, Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo, Emperor of the World_!" she said in loud but solemn voice, and gently placed it upon his head. "You're emperor. _At least for this day._ Happy Birthday," she whispered silently as he was crowned.

"Arise!" she commanded.

He rose to his feet.

He looked at her, as there was absolute silence in the entire scene.

He knew that she thought that this was something silly, some unachievable dream, something he'll forget about when he grew up when he would stop "pretending" and actually be good. And he knew she had no intention of actually making him ruler of the world when they grew up.

Yet it did not matter, for the very act made him very _happy._

It was a different sort of happiness from the one he experienced when his counterpart admitted his intelligence, for that was merely stating the truth. Here she was, acknowledging, if only for a day, his dreams, his aspirations, in such a public way. She, her enemy, her adversary, one who he had fought for so long, who had hurt him, and he had hurt in turn, _did this magnificent thing_!

Even if only for a day, and even if he knew, when they grow up, she would do everything to stop him, and they would, once more, be enemies—this meant so much to him.

He was very very happy. And unlike before, instead of hollering, he was silent, and then he felt tears flowing from his eyes. _Are these tears of happiness?_ he thought. It must be, since Pinky made him very happy that day.

This was a sign, a sign, that he would indeed, achieve his dream, that of ruling the world. Perhaps even Blossom would have something to do with it? Either as an adversary, or something else.

Who would've thought that she could make him so happy?

He made a deep bow, and she replied with a curtsey.

Then, on a sudden impulse, he knew not why, he clasped Blossom's hand in his, hugged her, said "thank you" to her ear, then kissed both her cheeks, and looked at her absolutely stunned pink eyes on her blushing face.

He then stood besides her, raised both their hands. And with one hand to his crown so it wouldn't fall, he bowed to the crowd, and Blossom, he noticed, again curtseyed.

The crowd applauded and shouted encouragement.

 ** _The End_**

* * *

And that's the end of _An Education For Power_. This had been a fun ride, and I thank all those who reviewed, who made this story their favorite, who followed it, and those who read it.

The tale of the six is not over. Far from it. But I have achieved my objective in writing this tale-to make the boys as smart as their counterparts, to make the boys achieve their revenge upon the Powerpuff Girls, and to make them reconcile with the Powerpuff Girls without losing their pride and self-regard and make them useful members of society. And having achieved it, I decided to put this particular story to a close.

The next story of the story of the six kids is coming soon, and it shall be titled, " _An Education From HIM_."

As always, please do me a favor and review if you've read this chapter. Reviews really lighten my day and makes me very happy. Thank you very much for reading!

(1) This was the exact same dresses they wore in the season 6 episode, _Octi Gone_. Look at the thumbnail for my fics, "The Date" and "The Dance" for easy reference.

(2) For the exact terms, see the appendix after the Author Notes and review replies.

(3) For the exact terms, see the appendix.

* * *

 **Author Notes**

To **Jamaican Blood,** _Awwwwweeeee! Their playing together! This is a good ass chapter, keep it up and I can't wait for the next update._

Yes, they're playing. Isn't that adorable? And there's more playing in this chapter!

* * *

To **dhannah1988,**

Chapter 15

 _Sorry I haven't reviewed in a while. I have been busy with cosplay crunch time._

It's okay. I hope you had fun!

 _You know a part of me was really hoping that Miss Keane would adopt the boys. And man Blossom is pushing it again by spying on the boys now. Another exciting chapter. Keep it up._

Oh yes, I considered making Ms Keane adopt the boys, but having them known as Brick Jojo, Boomer Jojo, and Butch Jojo is traditional, and much more familiar to readers of PPG fanfiction. So it had to be Mojo. But I will retain Ms Keane as someone who would be very influential in their upbringing.

As other chapters, see below.

* * *

To **A Fan,** _I really loved the boomer and bubbles moments, they were so cute! I would like to see more of that!_

Your wish is my Command! There are Bubbles and Boomer moments in this chapter, and in the future stories to come!

* * *

To **Kaobara,**

 _Aw mannn the next chapter is gonna be the last? I really hope that you'll make a sequel of some sort after this, as I know that there is still much to happen before the PPG and RRB gets to their teens and young adult stage (and to see if the RRB will go through with their plan)_

Yes, I will. In fact, if I have the time, I'll make several as they grew up.

 _I really love how you change the summary every time you update, but to tell you the truth, I feel like maybe after a while you should change the summary back to the summary of the very first chapter._

Thank you. It wasn't my idea. I noticed some other authors change their summary, so I decided to do so to reward long-time readers. And don't worry, after I post the sequel, I'll put back the original summary.

 _The summary of this story when it was still in its first book was what really got me and urged me to start reading this story. I mean, the RRB actually getting smarter? The possibility of the RRB getting better and stronger than the PPG? It's definitely a summary that would peak the interest of many people._

 _Although I don't oppose the idea of keeping the last summary, however, to attract new readers wouldn't it be wiser to give the people browsing the PPG stories an interesting thought: What if the RRB become educated._

 _I mean if people were browsing stories, it wouldn't make sense to find the ending of the story as the synopsis. That would be like spoiling a movie before really knowing what the movie is all about hahaha._

 _Again, I'm not opposed to having a new summary for the next chapter, but maybe after a few days or so or maybe a week, it might be better to bring back the summary of the very first book to attract new readers to the story._

Thank you for your suggestion. I will do so after I post first chapter of the sequel.

 _Hahaha well, I guess this is the end huh... Well, it was great while it lasted and it was a great ride to be on. This is, once again, one of my favorite stories and seeing an update pop in into my inbox never fail to lighten up my day and give me something to look forward to. I hope that you would consider a sequel, however I guess we'll just see what will happen on the next chapter huh._

 _Cheers_ **!**

Yes, I am making a sequel! And thank you for reading and for reviewing! It's been fun writing this tale!

* * *

To **dhanna1988,**

Chapter 16

 _Once again you amaze me with the way to depict fighting scenes. It is so well written and detailed that I can really picture the fight in my head. I love Bubbles and Boomer's fight. It was so cute and entertaining with Bubbles being all amazed by Boomer's eletric bat. So perfect for the blues._

Thank you. I really do like writing fight scenes. And yes, Bubbles and Boomer are very cute together, even when fighting.

 _Also the girls, Blossom and Bubbles, learn that the mystery students of Ms. Keane are in fact the RRB!_

All thanks to Boomer's mouth.

 _I have been waiting for that reveal._

 _Also this fight lasted all night...does that mean that Ms. Keane has been stuck tied up all night long?_

Yes. Ms Keane was tied up all night long.

Chapter 17

 _This was funny. I loved the formal apology set up and Bubbles and Boomer one upping each other with the introduction was really cute and funny._

 _But what is in the letter that Blossom gave to Brick? I can't wait to find out._

Yes, Boomer and Bubbles really are adorable! As for what's in the letter, the next chapter would answer that.

* * *

To **Akum** ,

Chapter 17

 _wow, now on the next chapter._

Thank you very much.

* * *

To **dhanna1988** ,

Chapter 18

 _Bubbles and Boomer are just so adorable together. I loved how they were just playing and having fun in this chapter._

 _And I love how sensitive Butch is about his cooking. When he gets older he won't mind since it will be attractive to most girls that he can cook haha_

 _Good job on this chapter._

Yes, Boomer and Bubbles would have more moments, as this chapter demonstrates. And yes, Butch is lucky in his skill.

* * *

To **GoingQwazy** , _Is there gonna be a sequel? ;-;_

Yes, there is going to be a sequel.

* * *

To **Akum** ,

Chapter 18

 _Well, it's refreshing to know they can fully enjoy games any normal children like to play. In their own way of course. Cu soon!_

Yes, they love the play normal children's game. But their powers would make their games a little different.

* * *

To **AuroruaX7** ,

 _*Posted with Permission*_

 _CHAPTER 18 IS SO FREAKING ADORABLE! The scene in which Bubbles was playing w Boomer and Butch just made my day. Jeez, Boomer's room sounds like my dream room and maybe dream HOME considering it's larger than the Powerpuff's room. So the Ruff's are gonna go to school now, eh? (yes I'm Canadian). I always wondered how the Rowdyruff Boys would get along with others and how the school would react to having them in the class. Guess I'm gonna find out in the sequel?_

Thank you. I really like to write Bubbles and Boomer, since they are so adorable together.

Oh yes, they're going to school. As to how they'll get along, that would be a spoiler for a future story.

 _I notice there's very little, or not very noticeable character development between the greens. Just something to point out. Don't mind it that much, but Butch seems the least memorable main character in this story, at least in my perspective._

That was deliberate. At this point, there really is no reason for the greens to interact. Brick and Blossom had the letters even before Blossom found out who Kenneth Charles was. And since both were leaders, there would a lot of negotiations and a lot of basis for their interactions, especially when they would have to join forces.

As for Boomer and Bubbles, we know that Bubbles found Boomer cute. And I used the letter writing to construct an opportunity for the blues to interact.

I have a plan for Butch and Buttercup, but setting it up will take a long time, and they'll only interact meaningfully in the future when they're much older. But don't worry. It will happen before they're teen-agers.

 _..._

 _A &R means Allies and Rivals. I'm guessing it will follow a similar layout._

 _Anyways, I'm really excited for Chapter 19. Can't wait :D_

Thank you very much.

* * *

To **Hinate,** _Reds Forever..._

 _It's reaaaaaaaally sad you're ending it alr... i was expecting few time skip till they get older than MAN ATLEAST have Brick n Blossom! date even in 1 fic! been waiting for that throughout all ur fics! ... can't wait for next chapter and Sequel :D_

 _Or Sequel of Allies :D_

 _Anyways i hope you're doing good..._

 _Take care... cya sooon~_

Yes, Reds Forever too!

Don't worry, there's a sequel or two. And I plan to write, if I have the time, until they're adults!

And yes, it will reach at that point when they'll date.

* * *

To **John** , _What a great chapter!_

Thank you.

* * *

To **YxYYLover,**

 _Boomer and I struggle with the same thing, speaking before we thing because we are so caught up in the moment. It will get better with age hopefully lol. Wow this chapter was heavy. I was disheartened last chapter to think the boys plans were ruined and to see such hate between Blossom and Brick was disappointing. I'm glad thing between the are settled...for the most part and really curious to see what Brick has planned for those three days. As always good job._

Even though Boomer did make a mistake in blurting the secret out, at least it's out, and things can move from there. And yes, things are more or less settled except for a few details. As for the hate, that was expended during that last fight as they unleashed all their emotions against each other to exhaustion. As for what Brick planned? It's in the next chapter!

* * *

To **William F Somebody,**

 _So that's what the girls want! They want the boys to go to school!_

Well, Blossom at least. Bubbles was just happy about it, and Buttercup couldn't care less.

 _Boomer and Bubbles are adorable, playing together, with Butch. And the reds! Letters galore!_

And there are more of those!

 _At least Brick is getting something in exchange for going to school._

Yup! Mojo Jojo is a very shrewd monkey.

 _All in all, a great chapter, and I'm eagerly waiting for the next one._

Thank you.

* * *

To **Ash141,**

 _Such an amazing chapter, I loved it! Question: It was said in an earlier chapter that the Boys souls' belong to HIM, at least that's what Brick thought, is that true?_

Yes. It's in chapter 5, "Names", part 54. The New Classroom.

"Here's the exact quote.

He shook his head. Him owned their souls! That's the bargain that they did in exchange for their lives. But owning their souls does not mean a thing once you're alive. Only when they die again would they have to face the consequences, right? He was free as long as he lives…"

 _I can so see another Dance in this story except the Boys don't go to it, instead they watch from the clouds; Bubbles would be dancing with her friends, BC would be hanging with hers, but Blossom would be alone & Princess would of course take that opportunity to rub it in her face. Upset & lonely but not wanting to show it, she would go outside & dance around by herself; Brick would end up going down & dancing with her in a very extravagant but formal way, like royalty. _

Now that is adorable! I'll try to include it in the future if I could.

 _I can also see a year after they become friends; Blossom is crying in her room b/c a new genius kid (it could be Dexter or some other incredibly smart boy) made her think he liked her so that he could study her & told her she was an accident, she'd say she wasn't & then he'd say she was a mistake. Bubbles would block Brick at her door (they were about to have a meeting & Brick hates tardiness), Bubbles would fail to explain the situation & Blossom would come out & explain it herself then go back into her room. Brick would stand there a while before going all around the house gathering every pillow, cushion, & blanket then go into the Boys room (they spend the night sometimes) making the most amazing pillow fort ever, he goes into the kitchen & makes popcorn, cookies, & hot chocolate, gets a laptop & some documentary movies & puts it all in the fort; he then goes into Blossom's room, throws her over his shoulder, carrying her into his room & tosses her in the fort crawling in after her & wrapping her in his special fluffy red blanket (he doesn't even let his brothers use it); the others, angry that they weren't invited look through the opening to see Brick holding Blossom while she cries, effectively cuddling with her, he doesn't tell her she's going to be okay b/c obviously she's not, he just continues to hold her. _

Now this too is cute and adorable. Though I'm not really a fan of Dexter and Blossom being anything, even if only as a prelude to her and Brick. So I'll change the reason for Blossom crying, if that is okay with you. I actually wrote a scene once where they were much older (They're 13), Brick comforts a crying Blossom. If you want to see it, see my fic, _Falsely Accused_ , chapter 6, "Monday Investigations". , Part E, "The Outburst"

 _Anyway, can't believe the next chapter is the last one, can't wait for it! Until next time._

Yes, but don't worry! There's a sequel!

* * *

To **mokocchii**

 _I find it incredibly cute how they act like children here. Yes, in some retrospect, they act mature, especially Blossom and Brick, but in the end of the day, they're still children, and because of that duplicity, they go through the world differently than other children._

Yes, they're both mature, and they're also children, which makes contrasts on how they act and how they view the world.

 _And ooh, cannot wait for school to start! I was thinking of doing a mini school chapter myself for awhile (it would've been so cool if there was an episode that the boys enrolled)._

 _Curious! Are they gonna remain as they age they are? (Are they six here?) You mentioned you plan to continue the story, so I'm wondering how long when the "romance" happens what age will they be?_

 _Happy Writing!_

They are seven, as this chapter would show. As for the "romance", it depends on who. I'll give a little spoiler. If all goes according to plan, Bubbles and Boomer would get "romance" first. Then Brick and Blossom. Finally, Butch and Buttercup. Boomer and Bubbles would get really close as children, and it would happen, at about age 10, 11 or 12, or even younger. Brick and Blossom would happen about 14 to 15. Buttercup and Butch about 18 to 19 or even their twenties. So if I would write romance, it would be sequential, not at the same time, and probably in three separate stories or more.

Thank you.

* * *

 **APPENDIX**

I put this here as it is not necessary to know the actual words, as drafted by Mr Practice and Mojo Jojo, in this story, but the actual wordings of the agreement may or may not affect future events.

* * *

 _ **Private Agreement between the Powerpuff Girls, and the Rowdyruff Boys**_

The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys hereby agree, this second day of August, in the year 2005:

1\. That there should be peace between the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys.

2\. That the Powerpuff Girls would not attack the Rowdyruff Boys for any reason other than when the Rowdyruff Boys attack the City of Townsville or innocent citizens.

3\. That the Powerpuff Girls would allow the Rowdyruff Boys to _plot_ evil or to conquer the world.

4\. That the Powerpuff Girls would only act if the Rowdyruff Boys actually do unlawful acts to further their goals of conquering the world.

5\. That the Powerpuff Girls would not stop the Rowdyruff Boys in doing acts in furtherance of conquering the world if the means to do so were all legal or acceptable to the people.

6\. That the Rowdyruff Boys would go to school, and in the same school as the Powerpuff Girls.

7\. That the Rowdyruff Boys would act as heroes, and act as good citizens.

8\. That the Rowdyruff Boys would always seek the guidance of the Powerpuff Girls, and would always listen to them, although such advice is not binding, and they are not required to follow it.

The Law Passed by the City Council, as drafted by Mojo Jojo and Mr Practice

* * *

 **THE ROWDYRUFF ACT**

Whereas, the Rowdyruff Boys have been pardoned by the Mayor of Townsville, and have demonstrated their intentions to become superheroes in service of the City of Townsville

Now, be in enacted by the City Council of the City of Townsville:

Section 1: The following persons shall be collectively known as "The Rowdyruff Boys" (RRB), created by Mojo Jojo, who is considered their father:

Brick Kenneth Charles Jojo (Brick)

Boomer David Jojo (Boomer)

Butch Bryan Jojo (Butch)

 _Section 2:_ The RRB are hereby appointed as superheroes of the City of Townsville, and shall have the same rights, duties, and privileges of the Powerpuff Girls (PPG), as provided for in the POWERPUFF GIRLS ACT, except as provided for below.

 _Section 3:_ The RRB are hereby given a hotline, from whence the RRB could be contacted by the Mayor of Townsville in case their services are needed. And a similar hotline shall be installed in every classroom they shall attend, except if they attend the same class as the PPG, where they would share the hotline, and the Mayor shall determine who to call for the said emergency.

 _Section 4:_ That the RRB only swear to keep the peace of the city, and to refrain from open acts of villainy.

 _Section 5:_ The RRB, due to their past nature as villains, is given the right to retaliate to anyone who insulted them or did any action or spoke any words that the RRB considered insulting, including physical retaliation, except that of killing the said offender, free from any legal repercussion whatsoever, as long as the recipient of such retaliation was proven to have did the said act or spoken the said words, that insulted the RRB or the RRB considered insulting.

No legal officer, or any institution, public or private, including academic institutions, may punish the RRB for exercising the above rights.

Approved, by the City of City Council of Townsville, August 1, 2005


End file.
